


An Opportunity Seized

by Dard_E_Disco



Category: Bollywood Movies, Don: The Chase Begins Again (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Love/Hate Relationship, Revenge, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-01
Updated: 2014-06-01
Packaged: 2018-02-03 01:11:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 31,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1725701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dard_E_Disco/pseuds/Dard_E_Disco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A man who is impossible to catch, and a woman determined to catch him. When Roma finds Don alone and injured, she grasps the opportunity to have her revenge. But anger isn't the only thing she feels and, as she fights to keep control, she finds her walls of denial begin to crumble, leaving her to choose between what she wants and what is right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Cross-posted from my account at fanfiction.net

...

CHAPTER ONE

…...

It was an overly warm summers day and the heat inside the shopping centre was stifling. Roma wiped sticky strands of hair back off her forehead and continued perusing the racks of sportswear in front of her. She wanted cycling shorts; preferably ones that weren't bright pink.

She was living and working for Interpol in London now, after a couple of Don's associates (wanted, of course) had been spotted in the city several months ago. They had surfaced intermittently, but there had been nothing for weeks and her superiors had pushed her into taking a two-week holiday.

She was three days into it now and already felt antsy to get back to work. She had literally had to turn off her phone and hide it in the bottom of her underwear drawer. And her computer was unplugged. In her head she knew she deserved a break, but in her heart she knew that to even attempt to rest was futile. It had been two years since the Berlin incident and she had heard not a peep, seen not a blip, of Don.

But he was up to something; she knew it. So that was why she had turned her attention to those close to him, hoping they would lead her in the right direction. And yet she had been stumbling blind in the dark for so long. Sometimes, alone in her house in a quiet London suburb, she would curse herself for hesitating to shoot him when Vardhaan had told her to.

After all, that was what she had wanted. Revenge for her brother's death, revenge for Kamini's death. Hadn't the look in his eyes been a lie, just as before?

Angrily, she slid the shorts along the rail, barely even looking at those she passed over. Arjun had bought her a bike. They would go riding together. It had been his tentative anniversary present. One month of dating because she had to settle down sometime and an international criminal just wasn't viable marriage material, especially when she veered madly between wanting to kiss him and wanting to kill him.

A bored voice sounded through the shop's speaker system advertising a special sale in the lingerie department and advising customers to pick up a loyalty card. Roma gritted her teeth and gave up on the shorts. She had been an idiot to think shopping was a good idea. When was the last time she had even attempted it? She didn't even remember how. Once upon a time she must have understood how to hunt for bargains and mill around aimlessly and care about trends and shoes and hats.

That had been before. Before Don. Now she wore only black, white or gray and ordered everything online so that not a moment of her time would be wasted.

Defeated, she headed toward the exit and out into the street. She was immediately swept along by the pedestrian traffic. A man somewhere close by said something in Hindi that she couldn't quite catch. A French couple hurried by, bickering over the contents of a shopping bag. Two English girls spoke loudly about their outing the previous night. And then, again, the same man's voice. She had been waiting for it and picked it easily out of the crowd.

He was counting down from ten. She counted with him, searching for anyone she could pinpoint. Her heart was thudding in her chest, though she couldn't say why.

Suddenly a loud deafening BANG sounded and she was thrown backwards off her feet. Her back collided with a wall and she coughed, her ears ringing. People were screaming, streaming wildly out of the closest building. Another bang sounded and she watched as the building exploded. Flames bloomed out, debris scattering everywhere. Her vision hazy, Roma crawled further into the alleyway she had been thrown into. Time seemed to move in slow motion. Eventually she coughed, getting to her hands and knees and then pushing herself to stand. She looked back out into the street and saw that people were bleeding and crying. There was rubble in the alley too; the wall opposite her was half destroyed. She was very lucky, if anyone had been caught under it….

Rushing forward she began to call out, shifting as much as she could. Then she saw him. Just a metre or so from where she was looking, at the opposite end from where she had entered, he lay half under a large chunk of stone and plaster. Roma ran over, ignoring the dust she was inhaling. Bending down she checked for a pulse and then, only then, did she look at his face.

Immediately her world narrowed, the destruction around her fading into nothing. All she could see was him. Her body went cold, her hands clammy. She glanced furtively over her shoulder to check that no one had noticed them.

"Don," she said finally, prodding his shoulder. He didn't respond.

The debris was covering his legs, probably crushing them. Ignoring the twinge in her back she summoned all her strength to push it off him and to the side. Sirens were audible now, the police and firemen and ambulances arriving on the scene.

Her mind whirred at an alarming rate. She could leave him there for someone else to find, just wash her hands of it. She could stay with him, tell the police who he was, have him taken to hospital and then…then what? Was he connected to what had just happened? What was he currently wanted for? Wouldn't he just find a way to slip out of her grasp once more? Even prison bars couldn't hold him. She could finish him off. True, she was unarmed, but there were plenty of ways she could kill him and no one would ever suspect he hadn't died in the explosion. But he wouldn't know either, and she wanted him to know that she, Roma, had had her revenge.

So that left one option. She could hide him. He was dressed in a grey suit and tie. He looked like a businessman. If she said he was her husband, who would doubt her? Running to the street at the opposite end she saw that it was empty. Everyone had evacuated, or gone to help. There were cars parked very close to the alleyway. Glancing once more over her shoulder, she removed the grips from her hair and dashed over to the nearest one. She had posed as a criminal and now she was a police officer, she knew how to start a stolen car. Once she was sure she could work it, she hurried back to him.

Then she hesitated. You're crazy, a voice in her head said, What are you going to do with him? How can you think you wont get caught? You're crazy. 

"He's made me crazy," she said aloud.

It was risky to move him, especially if his spine was broken, but she didn't think that it was. And more than that, how much of her cared? Right now she was possibly in shock, and very probably panicking. There was a good dose of anger too, and a slight swell of victory.

I'll show you, she thought, I show you how it feels when someone else is in charge, when you're at someone else's mercy. 

Decided, she picked him up. It was lucky that they were both close in height and that she was strong, and it didn't hurt that she was fuelled by adrenaline. Half carrying and half dragging him, she got them both to the car and lay him across the back seat. His legs dangled limply and awkwardly and she was sure they were broken. Then she closed the door and got in the driver's seat. They would be putting up roadblocks soon and she had to move before that happened.

As she drove, her hands gripping the wheel so tight that she could feel them cramping, she tried to rationalise what she was doing, but all she could think was:

He lied to me.

He killed my brother.

He killed Kamini.

He lied to me again.

I'm in love with him.

But I hate him.

And I want him to know how it feels to be powerless.

It was as if God had judged her anger righteous and simply planted him in her path. What were the chances of him being there? What were the chances of her being there? What were the chances of her finding him? The whys and what for's could wait. She had always told herself she would take any opportunity for revenge. Well, she had failed the last one. But this one, this one she had seized.

…

TBC


	2. Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

…..

The sun was setting behind the backs of the houses as Roma pulled the car into her driveway. Getting out, she opened the garage door and then drove inside, shutting it behind her. She could enter the house from a door that led from the garage to the kitchen, rather than from the front door where anyone could see her carrying Don.

He was still out cold and she checked his pulse again, just to be sure. The house phone rang shrilly in the silence and she ignored it. Maybe it was Arjun calling to see if she was all right, after all she had told him she would be going shopping. He was probably worried.

Grunting, she pulled Don into a seated position and then somehow into her arms. Then she lifted him. Her adrenaline had died down considerably (and worry was starting to set in) and it was harder to move him, but she managed it. At the bottom of the stairs she set him down to catch her breath. Her house had not come cheap and there were two bedrooms, but out of those two only one was set up. The other she used as a study.

Taking a deep breath, she picked him up again and began a slow ascent.

"I really hate you," she muttered, sure that he was being heavy on purpose. After all, he looked small and relatively light, so why did she feel like she was shifting two tonnes of cement.

When she reached her bedroom she deposited him carefully on the bed, quickly removing and hiding her nightgown. She would have to call a doctor or someone, and it would have to be someone that wouldn't talk.

But first she had to clean herself up and then get rid of the car.

As she entered the bathroom the phone on her dresser rang and she answered it, clearing her throat as Arjun's voice sounded frantically across the line.

"Roma! Oh, Roma! I was so worried! Did you see the news? You told me you were going to look for…"

"I changed my mind," she interrupted. "I stayed at home instead and…I saw the news." She began to wipe her face with a wet towel, grimacing as it came away gray in her hand.

She hadn't realised what a mess she was, but looking in the mirror above the sink she could see that her hair and clothes were covered in dust and her lip was split. She must have bitten it when the blast threw her back.

"Do you want me to come over?"

"NO!" she cried, much too loudly, before catching herself. "I mean, I'm tired, there's no need." She tried to direct the topic away from herself. "Do they know what caused it? Do they have any leads?" Guiltily she thought of the man she had heard counting, but she couldn't tell anyone about him without implicating herself in a lie. Plus there was no reason really to suspect him. Counting wasn't a crime.

"Well," Arjun paused and she heard paper rustling as if he had been writing notes. "A lot of people are crying terrorist, but Hardwick," he named their superior, " isn't convinced. Neither am I."

"Hmmm," Roma turned on the shower. She would have to wash herself entirely. "Do they want me back?"

"No. Don't get mad, but Patel thinks you'll just try to pin it on Don."

"I don't…"

"I know," he said hurriedly, "But you have to admit, you are a bit obsessed."

"He killed my brother," she said flatly, staring though the half-open door at the motionless figure on the bed. "He's killed hundreds of others. He does what he wants when he wants and makes us all dance to his tune. Are you saying I should just let him go?"

Arjun sighed the way he had a million conversations before. Somehow all their arguments were about Don. "I'm going to have a bath," she said, "I'll call you later."

Then she hung up.

Stripping, she balled her dirty clothes up and tossed them into the tub. Then she stepped under the spray and washed herself as quickly and thoroughly as she could, wetting the clothes as well. When she was clean she got out and pulled on the t-shirt and jeans that had been left to dry on her towel rack. Then she took her now wet clothes down to the washing machine and stuffed them in.

As she turned the dial the thought occurred to her that she would have to wash Don's clothes as well. And to do that she would have to take them off him.

"I'll find out about a doctor first," she muttered.

The most important thing was the car. Once that was disposed of she could see about him. But she would have to leave the house to do it. What if he escaped? He wouldn't get far, dragging himself on two broken legs, but knowing Don he would damn well try. Either that, or he somehow had an escape plan set in motion already.

She began to laugh, leaning against the washing machine and pressing the back of her hand to her mouth. What was the penalty for abducting a wanted criminal?

There was a ball of twine she used to hang clothes out in her miniscule back garden. She had to secure him somehow. Grabbing it, she ventured back upstairs and paused at the door to her bedroom. He still wasn't awake. That was somewhat of a relief as she took his hands one by one and bound them to the metal headboard. Then, donning gloves and covering her hair, she went to clean the car of any prints or fibres they had left behind.

She drove it to as rundown a neighbourhood as she could find, hiding her face beneath a hat and scarf, and left it there, taking the bus home. This time she entered through the front door, removing her disguise a block or two away. The clock in the kitchen read 8.00pm and she collapsed at the table, her head in her hands.

She had searched for Don for so long and now she had him as she had always wanted him: completely at her mercy. So the question she had to ask herself was – what was she going to do with him?

And the truthful answer was that she didn't know.

And if she had been thinking rationally when she had found him, she probably wouldn't be asking herself such as question. But when had she ever been able to think rationally around Don? Despite her protests she found herself too easily manipulated by him. It was hard not to be, because what sounded like lies became truth when she looked in his eyes, and sometimes she doubted if even he knew the difference any more.

Maybe, now that she had him, maybe now was her chance to understand him finally. Then, after she had decoded every code and knocked down every wall, she could decide what she wanted to do.

She yawned, exhausted. The clock now read 9.00pm. Had she really been sitting there for an hour? Checking the doors were locked, she retired upstairs. There was a mattress in the study-bedroom that she could sleep on, but she would have to make it up.

Entering her own bedroom, she sat on the edge of her bed. It was more than big enough for two and she was so tired. She lay down, careful to keep as much space between them as she could, and then began to study him.

His hair was long again, as long as it had been when she had taunted him about his prison uniform. Why had she ever thought she had won? She looked closer and saw that his hair, and the stubble that covered his chin, was flecked with silver. His face was relaxed in sleep, much softer than she had ever seen it, even when he had been pretending to be Vijay. There was an old scar high on his left cheekbone, and a few more lines around his eyes. She had to touch him, just to make sure he was real and solid, because suddenly it seemed so very impossible.

As she trailed a finger down the curve of his nose, she noticed something buzzing in his pocket. Carefully, she pulled out a phone and flipped it open, answering the call.

"Don?" a female voice said, sounding worried, "Where are you? I waited for hours with the car. What happened?"

Roma didn't answer.

"Hello? Don? Who is this?"

She hung up, switching the phone off and tossing it across the room. It landed in her laundry basket, sinking amongst the clothes.

"What were you doing?" she murmured, "Why were you there?"

There was no answer. Wearily, she lay back against the pillow and fell asleep.

….

The sunlight was streaming in through the open blinds, making her blink as she opened her eyes. Stretching, she sat up and yawned. Her alarm hadn't gone off but, she realised, that didn't matter as she was on holiday.

Deciding to sleep for a little longer, she turned to lie in a more comfortable position and then froze, meeting the eyes of the man she had tied to her bed.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he said, his mouth curling in amusement. But his voice was strained; he had to be in a tremendous amount of pain.

Roma struggled to speak as his eyes burned into her, reducing her words to nothing.

"Would you mind telling me where I am, Officer?" he asked. How long had he been awake, watching her? She felt violated and yet, hadn't she done the same to him?

"You were injured," she finally managed to say, "I brought you here to…"

Suddenly he yanked his arms forward, tugging forcefully at the twine. She jumped off the bed, a little afraid, and then remembered that, even if he broke free, he couldn't go anywhere.

"Your legs are broken," she said a little more confidently, "I found you. I brought you here…"

"To…take…care…of…me," he enunciated each word, "thank you very much, sweetheart. Wouldn't a hospital have been more appropriate? Unless, of course, there's another reason you wanted to tie me to your bed?"

Roma blushed furiously, glaring at him. "There's no other reason," she spat. "If I had taken you to a hospital they would have realised who you were."

He raised an eyebrow, "I would have thought you would welcome a chance to put me back behind bars?"

"I would," she jutted her chin, "If only you would stay there. But bars can't hold you. You taught me that yourself."

He tugged at the twine again, only lightly this time. "And you can, can you…sweetheart?"

"Yes," she said flatly, staring him down. Maybe, just maybe, she was the only one who could.

…..


	3. Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

…..

Roma pressed the doorbell firmly, hearing it ring inside the house. Using her connections on the force (namely a geekily-cute young police officer named Amir, who had a crush on her) she had managed to track down a doctor who she was pretty sure would agree to her demands.

Of course she hadn't told Amir what exactly she was sniffing around his case for, but he hadn't asked. She had never been unaware of her effect on men.

It was 11pm. A tired looking woman answered the door, her care-worn face set in a frown.

"Can I help you?" she asked, glancing past Roma to the street beyond.

"I'm Officer Roma Bhagat, Interpol," she flashed her badge, "May I come in?"

The woman's expression changed from cautious to resigned and she allowed Roma to enter the house. They walked through the spacious hallway and into the kitchen where the lights were still on.

"Please sit," Roma said graciously, taking the seat opposite.

"I don't know what this is about, I've told your people all I know. I haven't seen Omar for months," she sighed, "I wish I had. I wish he was home, safe."

"The officers in charge of his investigation are very close to finding him. They expect to have him in their custody within the week. It's a very serious charge against him."

"Drugs!" the woman covered her head in her hands.

"Mrs Rasheed, I'm here to help you." Roma allowed her words to sink in, maintaining a kind expression in her eyes.

"How? Why?"

"As a sort of exchange. You're a doctor at one of the best hospitals in London. I need your expertise for, lets say, a private case. You must tell no one, breathe not one word, and do only as I ask. In return, I will do whatever I can to help your son. Perhaps I can even keep him out of jail."

The doctor furrowed her brows. "I don't understand what you could possibly…"

Roma smiled, "I'm a police officer, Mrs Rasheed. I wouldn't ever ask you to do anything illegal. But I have a man in my charge who needs to be kept hidden. He can't go to a hospital and he's badly injured. I need your help, and believe me, your son needs mine."

…

As the Doctor unloaded everything she needed from Roma's car (which she had eventually managed to remember to pick up from the car park she had left it in the other day) Roma crept up the stairs and freed Don's hands from the twine. He stared at her, his eyes glinting in the dark, and she switched on the bedside lamp. He was looking pale, she thought, maybe feverish. Unconsciously she reached out a hand and pressed her palm to his forehead.

"Roma," he rolled the R of her name, "What are you doing?"

She snatched her hand away. "I've found a doctor for you. She's downstairs right now. She'll help you. I don't want you to say anything to her. Not a word."

"What if she asks me where it hurts?" he affected a wounded look.

"You can tell her that, but not why. And not anything else. And not your name." She had told Mrs Rasheed not to ask any questions, but you could never be sure.

"Hello?" the doctor called from downstairs. There was more Roma wanted to say, and he hadn't even agreed to her words, but she settled for glaring meaningfully and going back downstairs to help.

She had told the doctor as much as she could – that she thought his legs were broken – and so she was pretty well prepared.

…

"I'm finished, for now." The doctor came into the sitting room where Roma was trying hard not to wring her hands in disbelief at what she was doing or sneak up the stairs and listen outside the door. She looked up, studying the older woman's face. She looked exhausted, but not any more suspicious than she had previously.

"For now?" Roma got up, smoothing the winkles on her jeans.

"I'll have to come back and see him," sensing the Roma's hesitation she continued, "Only one leg is broken, and it isn't that bad. I've done all I can and put a cast on it and left plenty of painkillers and medication for him. The other leg is badly bruised and battered, but it's not broken."

She came forward suddenly and placed her hand on Roma's arm, "Listen, I know I promised not to ask any questions, but…are you sure you know what you're doing? I've worked in prison hospitals before and that man…" she frowned, "he seems dangerous."

Roma almost laughed but stopped herself. The doctor stared, quite possibly assuming she was crazy. But Mrs Rasheed loved her son too much. She wouldn't say anything.

They spent half an hour or so going over the fine points of Don's injuries and how to treat them, so that Roma wouldn't have to call unless it was absolutely necessary, and then arranged a tentative check-up for two weeks away.

"Did you tell any of this to him? Roma asked, meaning the exact nature of his injuries.

"No. He didn't ask. He just watched me." The doctor suppressed a shiver and Roma could sympathise, she knew how intense Don's gaze could be.

Roma drove her home and dropped her off, promising again to help Omar in any way that she could. The truth was, she didn't really have a plan for that. But that wasn't her main priority.

When she arrived home, locking the door twice, she ventured upstairs once more.

Don was sitting up, the pillows placed comfortably behind his back. His trousers were gone - and she spotted them folded neatly on her washing basket - but he thankfully was wearing black boxers. She couldn't stop herself staring though.

The cast covered his lower right leg and went up just past his knee. She could see the bruises on the other leg now, black and purple and nasty looking and she winced. She would have to get him some more clothes somehow. And how would he wash? She hadn't thought this through at all.

The pain medication was piled on her dresser. "Did she give you some already?" She asked, pointing to it. He nodded and, indeed, he did seem more lucid. "In future, you will ask me first." She scooped it all up and took it into the study. She had seen enough kidnapping cases to know that control was important and that was especially true when it came to Don.

Wait, she stopped herself, Kidnapping? Is that what you're calling it now? I thought it was Revenge? It's the means to an end.

A photo near the computer caught her eye. It was of herself and Ramesh and Kamini, all sitting together in a restaurant. They were smiling broadly but, even then, there was a hint of worry about Ramesh's face. He had gone through a bad patch after failing his University degree and somehow gotten involved with Don. She had tried to pull him back from that world so many times, and so had Kamini, but in the end Don had refused to let him go. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes and she wiped them away.

"Is that necessary?" Don asked as she came back in and picked up the twine. "I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart."

Suddenly an idea struck her. Dropping the twine, she rifled through her workbag and produced a pair of shiny handcuffs. He raised an eyebrow, a smile beginning to creep across his face. "Shut up," she said, lifting his left hand and cuffing it to the bedpost. She slipped the key in her pocket.

"I always knew you were kinky," he flexed his free hand as if to say what about this one?

"You need that to eat," she said, ignoring his comment.

"So you are going to feed me?"

"Even dogs need to eat," she answered, whether their tails were straight or crooked.

His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, yanking her close, "I'm not your pet, Roma." She struggled to get away, but his grip was like iron and he was so close that she couldn't concentrate on finding the strength. "Where's my phone?" he whispered, the short hairs of his beard tickling her cheek.

She shook her head, "I don't know," she lied, "You must have lost it in the blast."

He drew in a deep breath and then announced, "I'm hungry."

"Now?" she shrieked, finally wrenching herself away to stare at the clock. It was 4am. He just smiled at her, that irritating little smile of his that gave nothing away and made her want to punch him.

"Fine," she said through gritted teeth. She wanted to go to sleep! And she still had to make up the bed in the other room. Even though she had put him there, she resented him taking up her space. Stomping down the stairs, she took the clock with her. It would be better if he couldn't tell the time, then she could decide when he ate.

….


	4. Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

…

The building where the bomb (or bombs, the news reporter wasn't clear) exploded was a restaurant. Above it was a telemarketing office. They had shut down a couple of weeks ago though, so there were fewer casualties than there could have been. Roma listened to the report, scanning the crowd footage for anyone that she could recognise or pinpoint. There hadn't been many diners as it had taken place at a time too late for the lunch crowd and too early for the evening rush.

Her phone buzzed, lighting up on the arm of the couch.

"Hello?" she answered absently. It was only 7am.

"I have the afternoon off!" Arjun sounded happy, as well he might. They hadn't seen each other for at least four or five days. She made a noncommittal hmm and heard his excitement drop.

"What's wrong? Are you still mad about what I said? About you being obsessed with Don, because I understand Roma, I do. It's just hard sometimes to watch you twist yourself up over such a…" he trailed off.

She could fill in the blank he had left though. "I'm not mad," she assured him, and she wasn't. There were more pressing matters to angst over, such as the man hidden in her bedroom.

"Do you want me to come over? We could go out? Kate was telling me about this new Thai place that opened up near…"

"Actually, Arjun, I'm not feeling too good. I'd rather just stay in," she coughed a little pathetically, "I'll call you tomorrow."

He sighed, "Okay. I love you."

She barely heard him, "You too," she responded, snapping her phone shut.

After she had fed Don she had then made up her bed in the study and laid in it, staring blankly at the ceiling as the sun slowly rose outside the window. Sleep hadn't come after all. She wondered if she ought to go up and check on him. He surely needed to wash and other…necessities. He was still covered in dust from the explosion. Plus she wanted to retrieve his phone from the washing basket and look through it. Who was that woman who had called him? It hadn't sounded like Anita. Jealousy swept over her in a short cold wave, washing away as irritation took over. She couldn't let him affect her.

He was awake when she opened the door, still sitting up exactly as she had left him. The plate she had given him was now empty and pushed to the side. He stared at her, tracking her every movement.

First she picked up the washing basket and took it out into the hall, slipping his phone into her pocket when she was sure he couldn't see her. Then she went back in and hovered over him, unsure how to go about doing what was needed. She would have to go and buy him some clothes, that was her only option.

"I would like to have a shower," he said suddenly and she knew, though she couldn't see it on his face, that it was killing him to have to ask her.

She nodded. The bath in her en suite had a slight ledge. She could sit him on it and that would keep his cast dry. He could lean on her to move, though it would take most of her strength.

Slipping the key out of her pocket she unlocked the handcuffs and schooled her face into a blank mask. As they struggled he remained uncharacteristically silent. She had the feeling he was biding his time, waiting for something to slip – some bait that he could hook and catch her with.

They managed it somehow. She burned with his nearness and yet resented the care that she couldn't help showing him. She left him his underwear and gave him his shirt back before cuffing him once more to the bed, promising to return with clothes after a quick shopping excursion. Before leaving she left him with a bottle of Evian from the fridge and two painkillers. He just smiled at her.

….

When she pulled into her driveway, her boot loaded with shopping bags, she noticed Arjun's car straight away. Her heart plummeted and she stopped short of the garage, jumping out and running over to tap on the window.

He opened the door, relief warring with confusion on his uncomplicated face. "I've been ringing the doorbell for the last half hour," he had his phone in his hand, "I thought you might have collapsed or something…" at her blank expression he continued, "You said you were sick?"

"Oh," she smiled, dazzling him, "Right. I just went to get some paracetamol. I ran out. But I'm fine." She kissed him on the cheek, hoping he would take her assurance and leave. There was a flask on his passenger seat that looked suspiciously like homemade soup. He was that kind of guy.

Sure enough he reached in and lifted it out, " I made you soup," he said. "I'll heat it up for you."

She stared at him. To flat out refuse would at the very least hurt his feelings – and she did care about him- and at the most make him suspicious. "Okay," she gestured to the door, "I just need to get some bags."

He looked bemused as she retrieved her purchases from the boot and she deflected any questioning with a sheepish smile, "Retail therapy – I thought it might cure the flu as well."

He laughed, "I don't think it works that way."

She didn't exactly expect Don to call out, but as she opened the door she prayed that he wouldn't. If Arjun discovered what she had done he wouldn't just think she was obsessed, he would think she was certifiably crazy. But, as they entered the hall, the house was thankfully quiet. Maybe he was asleep.

"I'll just go and put these away," she said. Arjun made as if to follow her, but she stopped him. "I'll be down in a minute."

A brief flash of hurt passed across his face but it was quickly followed by a smile. He kissed her cheek and headed into the kitchen and she breathed a sigh of relief.

….

"We have a visitor," Don stated and she knew he had heard Arjun's frantic ringing of the bell and more than that, their voices on the stairs.

"I have a visitor," she corrected. "Arjun. You met him in Berlin, remember?"

"Ah yes," he smirked, "The one who was so concerned about you," he lowered his voice to an insinuating whisper, "I think he likes you."

"I know he likes me," she answered pointedly, "He's my boyfriend."

Something flickered across his face, "How sweet. Tell me," he gestured to the handcuff that held him, "does he like it when you tie him up?" he cocked his head, "Or is it the other way around?"

She dropped the bags at the foot of the bed, kicking the door closed, "I don't tie him up. I only," she had been about to say I only tie you up but that wasn't true, that was too much, and it made her stomach clench.

"So what is this?" he asked in a deceptively conversational tone, "Some attempt at a normal life? Am I invited to the wedding?"

"What if it is? Can't I have one?"

He studied her, his eyes sliding over her hair, her face, her shoulders, "We aren't normal, Roma."

"I was once. You took that away from me." There was fire in her voice now. "I don't have to justify myself to you."

He leant forward, the light from the window catching the silver in his hair. It was soft and loose, still drying from his earlier shower. His beard was slightly thicker and darker as he hadn't shaved. "When Vardhaan told you to shoot me," his gaze pierced her, just as it had that day as he had toyed with her in the vaults of the bank. Endless questions and lies about whether she loved him or not. He paused long enough to make her anticipate his next words, "Why didn't you?"

"I was going to." Why was he asking her this now, when Arjun was downstairs? She could hear him clattering around the kitchen, probably looking for a saucepan. But maybe that was why he was asking her, to confuse her, to trip her up.

"But you didn't."

"ROMA!" Arjun yelled up the stairs.

"Just a second!" she called back, glaring at Don. "Don't make a sound." Why did he have to look at her so intensely? Suddenly she was transported back to their first meeting, when he had outmanoeuvred her and whispered about wildcats into her hair. Silence hung heavy around them. He was incongruous to his surroundings, maybe they both were.

But then he broke it, "Let me know if you'll need the bed," he smirked, "I'll try to make room."

She moved, walking forward and bending into his space, close enough that her lips almost touched his ear, "What's the matter?" she needled, deliberately copying his tone, "Jealous?"

Pulling back, she waited for the denial she knew would come. But his eyes darkened and his nostrils flared. He stopped smiling. "Extremely."

She nodded, "Good."

…..

Arjun's soup was sweetly spicy and she ate it quickly. With everything that had happened, nourishment had been the last thing on her mind. He sat across from her, happy that she seemed to like it. When she had finished he washed the bowl and made them both a cup of tea. The afternoon sun streamed in through the window, painting them in the golden light of what appeared to be domestic bliss.

"I have something to tell you," he said apologetically, touching her hand, "and that's the other reason I came over."

"What is it?" Were they finally getting sent back to Malaysia? It was true that their leads in the UK had pretty much dried up (as far as Interpol knew anyway).

"They've been viewing security tapes from the hours before the blast and," he appeared to be gathering the courage to finish, "and…"

"They have a lead?"

"Maybe. On one of the tapes, around an hour prior…Don entered the restaurant."

She froze.

"He left around two minutes prior, we think through the side entrance. There wasn't a camera there, so they aren't sure, but it was definitely him, Roma. I think there's a good chance that he's to blame, don't you?"

But why? Why would he blow up a restaurant? He was a drug lord, an underworld kingpin and occasional bank robber, but beyond that he was methodical and clever and manipulative. Random acts of terrorism weren't his style. To pin the blame on him pointed to an ulterior motive and what that motive could be was in no way clear.

"You said I was obsessed."

"You are. That's why they sent me to ask you to come back. You're the only one who knows him inside out, the only one who can catch him."

"I don't know him inside out," she objected, "no one does."

He must have sensed her reluctance to agree, if not her reasoning, because he frowned, "I would have thought you'd jump at the chance. If we catch him, Roma, we can finally end it. You'll be free of him, free to…"

"To live a normal life?" she thought of Don's words in her bedroom, "We aren't normal Arjun. And Don's not so easy to catch." He's impossible, even when you have him in your grasp.

"Are you saying you won't come back?"

"I'm not saying that. But maybe I needed this holiday more than I thought."

"Sometimes I," he sighed, "Sometimes I don't understand you at all. Roma, you almost died in Berlin because of him. And now you're just brushing it aside when we're the closest we've been for two years?"

"I'll think about it, Arjun. But I'm tired, I'm sick – remember?"

That was his cue to leave, which he took with his usual complacence. They kissed at the front door, him pressing into her as if trying to tell her something and her moving quickly back, not wanting to hear it.

"I'll call you," she said, waving goodbye.

….

Later that night she lay on the mattress in the study, the door cracked open slightly so that she could listen for any noise from her bedroom. She held Don's phone in her hands, the screen casting a blue glow in the darkness.

Impatiently she scrolled through the contacts. They were all named by only one letter and nothing else. Obviously that meant something to him, but not to her. His sentbox was empty and so was his inbox and there were no photos stored anywhere. It was the phone of a man who had many secrets and who knew how to leave no trace. It told her nothing.

She sighed, slipping it under her pillow. She had turned to Malik for advice in the past, even after his retirement, but he was back in Malaysia. She was, as always, completely on her own.

…


	5. Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

…...

Balancing the tray on one hand, Roma shut the bedroom door with the other. Don watched her, as always. It was unnerving. She placed the tray at the end of the bed, too far for him to reach. He raised an eyebrow as she dragged a chair across the floor and turned it so that the back faced him - a comforting barrier - before she sat down. The morning's course of painkillers and water lay beside the cooling breakfast on the tray.

"Isn't Arjun joining us for breakfast?" he asked.

"Arjun left last night," she mirrored his expression.

Don curled his upper lip, false concern clouding his face, "Things not progressing well in that department? I thought he seemed a bit boring."

"That's none of your business."

"I don't know, Roma, it might be. After all, you still haven't told me why I'm chained to your bed, or what for. If you were going to kill me, you would have done it by now."

"And if you were going to escape," she half hissed, "You would have done it by now."

"Then we're at an impasse."

"I want to ask you some questions," she swallowed, sitting up a little straighter. She had been unaware that she had leant forward - he had drawn her in like a magnet.

"Go ahead," he said magnanimously, "I'm all yours, sweetheart."

The sound of traffic drifted in from the window, the shouting of a gang of teenagers on their way to school not managing to break the connection that buzzed between them. The air felt electric.

"I know you set off the blast," she said eventually. "Interpol knows."

He ignored the second part, "Do you?" that amused little smile returned to his face. "Why would I do that?"

"That's what I'm asking you," she snapped.

"If I was going to blow up a building," he spoke very slowly, "don't you think I'd be smart enough not to get caught in the explosion?"

"Fine. Then what were you doing there?"

"Having lunch. Is that a crime now?" He was infuriating.

She breathed hard through her nose, her mouth pursed in an angry line. Why was every conversation a dance between them? She wanted straight answers and he would only grant her more questions.

He smoothed his free hand over his beard, looking at her contemplatively. "What if I told you I came here to find you?"

"I would say you were a liar."

"Come on, Roma. You've been chasing me since the day I killed your brother." She flinched at his words. "You hooked your little claws into me the moment you cut me with your knife. You know you've become a compulsion, my wildcat. I never lost track of you. Not once."

She had been waiting for that. Wildcat. His nickname for her. His eyes were hypnotising and she remembered once more how easily he could wrap her around his little finger, enough that she would hesitate to pull the trigger and avenge her brother.

"If you won't tell me the truth," she said, "I'll find out myself."

They both looked at the breakfast tray. "I'll bring this back later," she said, removing it. "I don't think you're hungry enough yet."

He smiled, "You're wrong. I'm ravenous."

…...

She ended up heading into the office. Greeting Arjun at his desk, she disappointed him with the news that she had decided not to cut short her time off. Instead she offered her help for an hour or two, using her 'expert knowledge' to wrangle a viewing of the security footage.

They sat together on two plastic chairs in an empty room, watching the flickering TV screen. She held her breath as the recognisable figure of Don entered the restaurant and sat down. There was a large plant obscuring the person across from him, but as they greeted each other a man's hand was visible. There was a quick time lapse and then Don turned, looking away from the camera and out of the window.

"He's seen something," she muttered.

"Someone?" Arjun guessed.

They continued watching. Not even a second later Don rose and exited the restaurant, but not through the front door.

"He saw someone outside," she re-wound the footage and paused it as he turned his head.

"Maybe one of his associates?" Arjun suggested. "Maybe…"

"No," she cut him off, frowning, "It was someone he didn't expect. He left so quickly, he probably was going to follow them or…" She squinted, noticing something important. "Look," she pointed to the screen, "he left behind his briefcase."

Arjun nodded, "I'll get someone to check that out. Maybe there's a chance it stayed intact."

But she wasn't listening. Instead she was staring at the blurry figures in the street beyond the window. "Do you think we can get someone to sharpen the image here," she traced the area with her finger, "Maybe we can find out who was out there."

Arjun nodded again, scribbling something down on his pad of paper. "See," he grinned when she had finished. "Expert analysis."

She laughed, "Get back to work. I'll see you later."

…

Don had to be hungry. It was ten o'clock at night. She had been out all day on purpose, hoping it would give him some time to consider his options. Of which, as far as she was concerned, he had none. He had to be hungry, he had to be in pain, she had made sure of it, and she couldn't let herself feel guilty. Had he felt guilty when he left Kamini's dead body on the floor of an elevator? She doubted it.

Climbing the stairs, she prepared herself for the ever-intense gaze, but when she opened the door he was asleep, still half propped up against the pillows. The black t-shirt and pyjama bottoms she had bought for him (a size larger to accommodate the cast) made him stand out starkly against her white bed sheets. His brow was furrowed and she leant closer, touching his hair before she could stop herself. He was frowning in his sleep and she wondered if he was having a nightmare. What did the King of the Asian Underworld dream about anyway?

He was warm, she realised. And how had she gotten close enough to feel that heat? He was right - for her too, he was a compulsion.

"Come to wake me with a kiss?" he asked, his dark eyes open and dragging her down.

"You're not Sleeping Beauty," she didn't move back, though they were so close that she could feel his breath on her neck.

He smirked, "That's a pity."

She didn't disagree.

"I brought you something to eat," she gestured to the tray she had placed back on the bed, "and I have some more questions."

He free hand shot out, tangling in her hair hard enough to hurt, but then his grip loosened and he just stroked the strands free from her ponytail, letting it cascade about their faces. There was something wrong with her, there had to be, because a normal person would never feel anything for a criminal, a liar and a murderer. A normal person would never want her brother's killer to kiss her, but she did.

"Ask away," he breathed, releasing her from his spell.

She turned away to hide her cracking façade. It was going to be a long night.

…..


	6. Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

….

She sat back down in the same chair from before, still positioned with the back between her and Don. Sliding the tray into his reach she nodded imperceptibly and allowed him to eat. Which he did, almost nonchalantly, like he hadn't been starving all day.

The silence stretched between them for a few minutes and Roma scolded herself in her head. She had to get her act together. This was her chance to learn the things he had always hidden, to understand if she could, and she was allowing him to waste her time with petty arguments about Arjun. She was an Interpol Officer and, as of a couple of days ago, her bedroom was now an interrogation room.

"Why did you kill him?"

"Who now?" Don asked absently, sipping his water.

"Ramesh."

He pretended to be surprised. "He wasn't quitting an ordinary desk job, sweetheart. He knew what came with the territory."

"He wouldn't have informed on you," she said insistently, "He just wanted a chance to be happy, to be honest."

"That's admirable," Don shrugged, "but I have a business to protect, people to protect…"

"Yourself, you mean," she interjected.

He smirked, "Ramesh knew that."

"And Kamini? She didn't work for you, she couldn't hurt you…why did you kill her?"

He sighed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear and stopping just short of rolling his eyes. "What do you want me to tell you? That I had a reason? That I'm sorry?" he shook his head, "I'm not. She's dead, I couldn't care less. But," he reached out, touching her forearm, "I am sorry that it hurts you."

She wanted to brush him off and yet she didn't move. His touch was meant to be comforting but it was making her shiver instead. His expression was serious, open and seemingly honest, but how could she believe him?

They were interrupted by the ringing of her phone. "What about the thousands of deaths you're responsible for each year?" she was talking about the drugs now.

"I've never claimed to be a good man, Roma."

The phone buzzed loudly and she dragged her eyes away from his, flipping it open. "Roma?" Arjun said, panicked.

"Hi, Arjun. What's wrong?"

Don's eyebrows quirked at the name and he made a half-hearted kissy face. She glared at him, not hearing half of what her partner said. It was only when she heard him say her name again that she replied, "Wait, repeat that."

"Roma," he sounded exasperated, "Aren't you listening? I said we had the image sharpened. The person Don spotted outside the restaurant was YOU!"

Her stomach dropped, her heart plummeting to her feet. "What are you talking about?" She had gone pale, she knew, because Don was staring at her strangely.

"I thought you told me you stayed home that day?" he sounded confused now. She opened her mouth to deny it, but couldn't find the words.

"I…I went out for a bit…to find some…"

"You must have been caught in the blast!" his voice was getting louder, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was in shock. I'm sorry. But I didn't see him," she searched for the words, "I didn't know." He said something else, but she didn't hear him. All her attention was on the man in front of her. If he had only left the restaurant because he had spotted her walking by, something that he couldn't have predicted, then that meant he couldn't have set the bomb. He wasn't suicidal.

"I have to go," she murmured, ignoring Arjun's protests.

"That's right," Don touched her hand as she put down the phone, "You saved my life."

If she could have summoned the strength to cry, she would have. Arjun was probably sitting in the empty station, growing suspicious about all the things she hadn't told him. He wouldn't confide in their superiors, he loved her too much, but he would want an explanation. If he discovered Don…she was done for.

"Who set off the bomb?" she asked, suddenly sure that he knew, "I know you know."

He shook his head, his expression pained, "I could put you in a lot of danger. I don't want to do that. Right now, I don't think he knows you're even here, but he'll figure it out. You're not safe here, Roma."

She felt his fingers curl around hers and she broke his gaze to look at their hands entwined on the top of the chair. Who did he mean? "Vardhaan is in prison," she said slowly, "You put him there." After breaking him out to use him, she wanted to add, he's gotta be angry about that.

In the downstairs hall the clock struck twelve. Suddenly the shadows around them seemed ominous. They stretched across the walls and the ceiling, occasionally chased away by the beaming headlights of a passing car, but never truly gone.

"Vardhaan escaped two months ago," he wasn't lying, "Don't ask me how, I'm surprised myself – he's never been the brightest of us – but he did. And since that time he has been on my tail from country to country, and there's only one thing on his mind."

"Revenge," she stated. It was strange to think that she and Vardhaan had something in common, but there it was, though he apparently didn't have any complicated feelings getting in the way. She almost envied him.

"He's clumsy," Don stated, "He always has been. But he managed to stay successfully hidden – right under the noses of the police – for many years, so I'm not going to underestimate him. But anger makes people vulnerable, and hate makes people too passionate – right now he's detonating all over the place, he's unstable."

"He's unpredictable," Roma said, "even to you?"

He smiled, "We'll see."

…

Arjun called her the next afternoon. She let it ring twice and then answered it, knowing it was better to pick up than risk having him come over. She repeated her excuses, repeated that she had simply been in shock and that that was why she had lied, until she was sure that he believed her.

"Then you have to be careful," Arjun said, "He's obviously after you."

"I don't think so," she scoffed, switching on the news. They were still reporting a terrorist attack as the best explanation. "Look, who else knows about the tape?"

He named their direct Interpol superiors; "They want to keep it quiet. If we leak the information they think he'll be gone before we even have a chance to look."

"Are you looking?" she asked.

"Yes." He sighed. "But its like he disappeared off the face of the earth. You need to be careful."

"He wouldn't hurt me, Arjun," she assured him, astonished to realise that she truly believed her words.

"Yeah," he sounded annoyed, "he did a great job of not getting you hurt in Berlin."

"That was my fault," she remembered the feel of the bullet piercing her. Through the brilliant explosion of pain all she had seen was his face, his eyes, caught off guard. He hadn't anticipated her injury and he hadn't been able to stop himself from showing the pain it caused him. "He would have let me shoot him. I couldn't. It was my fault."

"It was his fault. He manipulated you."

She bit her lip, "I have to go out," she was suddenly feeling extremely confused. "I'll call you later." He didn't answer. "I love you," she said. He hung up.

….

The streets were unusually quiet as she wandered down them, getting as close to the cordoned off area as she could. There were volunteers helping to clear the rubble, working with the officials and firemen to check for any other survivors or bodies. In the cold light of day - when the layer of dust that had coated her eyes didn't hamper her vision - the scene looked much, much worse than she had thought. If Vardhaan was to blame then this was more than anger. This was a man set on complete and total annihilation, and he obviously didn't care who got in his way.

She had to walk the long way around, detouring onto another street, to reach the alleyway where she had found him. Part of it was also taped off, but she got close enough that she could stare – almost zoning out – at the area where he had lain. She couldn't think of a single person, except maybe Anita and Ayesha, that wouldn't like to see Don dead for some reason or other. Those he worked with would welcome the chance to take the reins of his power, and those that were his enemies would wish it violently. It had to be lonely to be Don, no matter how much he loved the games he played.

I want to be a free man, he had said to her in the bank vaults. She had dismissed his words then, but they came back to her now.

Suddenly Arjun's voice permeated her consciousness, startling her. She glanced around and spotted him walking with another officer. He was pointing into the restaurant and talking animatedly. He hadn't spotted her.

Moving quickly, she ran away, pausing only when there was a street or two between them. Ducking into another side street, she leant against a wall – breathing rapidly.

"Well, well," a deep voice said.

Roma's blood ran cold and she turned around. Vardhaan stood in the shadows, dressed all in black. His hair was a little longer, and his beard unkempt. The shadows beneath his eyes were darker and his expression was a little crazed, but other than that he looked the same.

"Vardhaan," she said, starting to back away. He advanced.

"I came here looking for the cat, but I've found the mouse instead," he cocked his head, "Perhaps you can help me."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He let out a short, cold, laugh. "Yes you do."

"Isn't it a bit presumptuous to return to the scene of the crime?" she asked.

He nodded, getting closer, "You know where he is." He lunged, intending to grab her, but she sidestepped him. She almost got away but then he caught her by the end of her ponytail, yanking her back and pressing her against the wall. "Ah, I forgot," he whispered into her ear, "You're in love with him. Of course you'd protect him. After all, what's a dead brother between lovers?"

Struggling to turn around, she kneed him in the crotch, using his reaction to the pain as her chance to run.

"You're a fool!" he called after her. "You'll never be able to trust him! Deception is in his nature, it's the only thing he knows!"

She ran at full speed, not looking back. Don had warned her and she had been stupid. Her heart was pounding through her chest, threatening to crack her ribcage. She didn't think he was following her, but it wasn't impossible.

He knew Don wasn't dead, and now he knew that she knew Don wasn't dead. He wasn't stupid; he could put two and two together. Now there was a threat on both sides and she was done for either way.

...


	7. Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

…...

Roma sat in her car, her head resting on the steering wheel. The sun was setting slowly, bleeding pink and gold across the sky. She had spent the rest of the day wheedling Amir into getting Omar Rasheed a lighter sentence (or, if possible, none at all). Her excuse had been that she knew the Rasheed family, and that she knew Omar was really a good boy. Lies. Lies were taking over her life. But she had phoned the doctor before driving home, confident that she had paid her debt. That was one less person to worry about.

As she got out of the car she stared into the shadows that encroached on her house, wondering if Vardhaan was perhaps skulking anywhere close. Her heart was still racing from their earlier encounter. She walked the perimeter of the tiny garden and saw no one, not even a neighbourhood cat. The streetlamps flickered on, buzzing a little as they came to life.

She unlocked the door and then locked it behind her. The house was dark and quiet, as if there was no one waiting for her upstairs.

Pausing in the kitchen, she grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses. If there was ever a night for getting drunk - this was it. Who knew, maybe intoxication would afford her the guts to do something with Don, one way or the other.

"Trying a new tactic?" he asked as she entered the bedroom, tossing him a box of painkillers.

"Drowning my sorrows," she said, pouring a glass. Almost instantaneously she decided not to tell him she had seen Vardhaan. It wasn't important, not yet. She wasn't going to let anyone come between them until she understood, and knew, what side she was on.

"I thought you might want to know," Don paused, assessing her interest, "Arjun dropped by while you were out."

"Really?" she remained nonplussed.

"He sounded quite distraught. I had to listen to him knocking for hours. Trouble in paradise?" He smirked, clearly pleased.

"He thinks you're going to kill me," she downed the entire contents of her glass, "or something."

"What do you think?"

"I think you've got to be pretty mad about what I've done."

"And what's that?"

She waved her hand his general direction, "You know, kidnapping you and stuff." Either she was turning into a real lightweight or the wine was much stronger than it ought to be. She drank another glass, wondering exactly what she thought she was doing.

"We can call it even," he patted the side of the bed, beckoning her closer, "I've done worse to you."

She giggled, "I thought you didn't care." She swayed slightly, and he held her wrist, trapping her inches away from his body.

"But I told you I did care if I hurt you," he smoothed her hair away from her forehead, tucking it behind her ear, "why don't you believe me?"

"Deception is in your nature," she repeated Vardhaan's words verbatim, "It's the only thing you know."

His eyes shuttered for a moment and he looked almost disappointed in her. She scowled fiercely, angry that he was judging her when really it should be the other way around. "And denial is in yours," he said in a low whisper, his words ghosting over her skin, "you're still denying that you love me, after all this time."

"I don't love you," she said automatically, her mouth suddenly dry.

"There you go again," he smiled, but there was despair beneath the amusement. "Come on, sweetheart, what's the wine for? What are you trying to gather the courage to do?" She swayed closer as his voice got lower. He had to be doing it on purpose to entice her in. "I don't believe you're drinking because you want to kill me."

He touched his free hand to her face, brushing his fingers over her cheekbone and down across her lips. She was surprised to find her breath coming a little quicker, her skin tingling in the wake of his warmth. He leant forward and she knew what he was going to do if she let him.

"Don't" she said.

"Don't what?"

"Don't kiss me." It was too much, it was not what she had brought him there for. It was a betrayal of Ramesh, of Kamini, of herself, if she allowed it.

He sighed, letting her go and sitting back to create space between them. He ran a hand through his hair and raised an eyebrow as if to say - fine, I won't. 

"Wait," she reached for him, grabbing him by his shirt and hauling him forward. Somehow, without consciously choosing to, she had thrown her leg over his and was now straddling him. He lifted his hand to touch her again but she knocked it aside and pinned it down against the sheets.

"If you start this," he said as she leant over him, "I'm not going to let you stop."

She stared at him, her heartbeat accelerating. His hand twitched beneath hers, his fingers brushing up against her palm. Then the doorbell rang.

It took a couple of seconds for the noise to break their spell, but once she heard it Roma leapt off him, knocking the bottle of wine to the floor where it spilled - staining the cream carpet red. The doorbell rang again, followed by a knock.

Don's expression was unreadable and she knew why; he was waiting to see what she would do. The room felt far too hot and she couldn't think with him just looking at her. It was better that she answer the door and deal with the mess later.

"Arjun's waiting," he said softly when the bell rang again, "he sounds pretty desperate."

He's not the only one, she thought, retreating out into the hall and down the stairs. Arjun was just about to knock again when she opened the door. He dropped his hand and grinned sheepishly.

"Hi," he said. "I came over to apologise. I'm sorry for getting at you earlier, but I'm just worried. You're so secretive sometimes, it's hard for me to understand you. When I saw the stills and realised Don had seen you, I flipped out a little. But I don't want to fight with you, especially not now. I love you."

She let him finish his little speech, not hearing half of it.

"Can I come in?" he asked, after a couple of minutes standing on the porch.

She bit her lip, wondering why the night air had not managed to cool her yet. "I've got a better idea," she forced a winning smile, "Lets go to yours, I'll make you dinner."

He smiled back and she grabbed her coat and keys. It wasn't what she wanted, but it was what was right. If she went back up there now she wouldn't be able to control herself. Locking the door, she slid into the passenger seat of Arjun's car knowing that Don would hear the engine start up and the vehicle drive away. It was a small victory, but she celebrated it. How did he like being toyed with and left hanging? Of course she would only be disappearing for mere hours instead of years.

….

"Any new leads?" She asked Arjun the following morning over breakfast. His flat was small, and like her house, very sparsely decorated. They flitted from country to country in search of one of the world's most wanted criminals - there was no time to make a real home.

"Nope. You're the best one we've got at the moment," he grinned and she knew he was partly teasing.

Rolling her eyes, she popped a square of melon into her mouth. "What're you going to do?" she asked, "Have me followed and hope Don shows up?"

He laughed, "Right. Because you wouldn't kick up a fuss about that. You should come back, we need you back, Roma. We have no chance without you."

"Tell me something," she ignored his plea, "did you know that Vardhaan broke out of jail two months ago?"

His face turned serious and he put down his coffee, "Who told you that?"

She thought quickly, but his face already confirmed what she had suspected. He had known and he had kept it from her. "Malik," she said, "on the phone. Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was before," he stumbled for words that wouldn't lead to another fight, "before all this. I was trying to give you a break."

"Either I'm too obsessed or I'm your only hope," she managed to keep a trace of a smile on her face, "you need to make up your mind."

"I'm sorry," he looked truly contrite. It was possible to read his every thought and emotion on his face - it was so open, so unlike Don's.

"I have to go to work," he said reluctantly, getting up to deposit their cups in the sink and kiss her softly on the cheek. "Can you let yourself out? Or do you need a ride?"

"I'll call a taxi or something. See you later?"

He nodded, making a telephone sign with his hand. She laughed. He was so cute, so dorky and so safe. But was that what she really wanted?

….


	8. Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT

….

Roma lingered awhile at Arjun's apartment, scrolling through the news channels and looking over some random case notes he had left behind. She wasn't snooping – she was just watching her back. They went mostly in circles, with her and Don's names meeting in a question mark. At the bottom of one page, blurred by a dried drop of water, was the question – why can't he just leave her alone?

Going home to Don filled her with more than a little dread. When she thought of how she had sat astride him, had allowed herself to want him, she felt ashamed. She berated herself, trying to build back the walls that he had once again begun to tear down.

When it reached midday she decided she could put it off no longer and she left, slipping Arjun's spare key back through the letterbox. When she arrived home she went immediately to the kitchen and prepared him the most meagre meal she could think of – two slices of unbuttered (burnt) toast and two painkillers with a glass of water. Then she took it up to him, her face carefully schooled to betray as little as she could.

"What's this?" he asked, looking at the tray.

"All you'll be getting from me," she answered coolly, "until you tell me everything you know and apologise for everything you've done – and mean it!"

He whistled, "I'm sorry Arjun left you so unsatisfied, sweetheart. If you had stayed here that wouldn't have happened."

She stuck her finger in his face, "The only thing about you that can satisfy me is the day you pay for your crimes."

His eyes grew dark; taking her words for the threat she meant them to be. She didn't move her finger but pointed it straight between his eyes, like the gun she had once held to his head.

"Then you are going to be frustrated for a very, very long time, my wildcat."

….

Anger claimed her for the rest of the day. It was mostly directed towards herself, but she managed to transfer a good amount of it to Don, blaming him for what she had almost done – even though he had backed off when she'd asked.

She took out his phone again and noticed a new text message.

WHERE ARE YOU?

It said simply. The number was unknown but she bet he would know who it was. She bet it was from the same woman who had called it the first night. It was useless to her.

She hid in the kitchen like a coward as the hours passed by, making as little noise as she could. If Don was hungry he didn't call out, if he needed her he didn't shout her name. He just waited, confident that she would crawl back up the stairs to trade jibes with him until they both reached some kind of empty fulfilment. He was too self-assured to imagine that anyone he considered even partly under his thrall would ever leave him.

Ramesh had wanted to though. Their parents had died in the last year of his degree – a car accident that had killed them instantly – and that was what had caused him to go off the rails. He had reigned himself in eventually and found Kamini, but by then it was too late and he had to be resigned to rising through the ranks of criminals and scoundrels rather than through a law firm as he had once dreamed.

She missed him terribly, even now. He had always been there to protect her as they grew up – her brave big brother. But not only that – he had also taught her the importance of protecting herself. If he could see her now, she knew he would tell her to forget her vengeance. He would want her to live her life free from Don – the way he had not been able to.

She knew, somewhere deep inside, that if she couldn't kill Don, if she couldn't send him to jail and be satisfied that he would remain there, she was going to have to let Ramesh's ghost go. She had only become a police officer to do things the right way, but when it came to Don the right way was so often the wrong way. She should have stuck her knife in his neck the moment they met – when Narang had been so stupid as to leave them alone – before Don had had a chance to lie and lie and lie and lie. She was beginning to think that that moment had truly been her only chance.

…

At eight pm she took up more toast only to find that the afternoon's allowance had not been eaten. Wordlessly, she changed one plate for the other and left the room.

He just watched her, his eyes saying things that she didn't want to hear.

Deciding to clear her head, she went for a drive, winding through the London streets in the silence of her car.

As the neon shop lights and the yellow streetlamps began to blur together in a stream of colour, she felt her anger mellow into something akin to remorse. She braked suddenly, causing the cars behind to beep their horns loudly until she resumed movement. Arjun and Patel and all the other cops who whispered behind her back were right – she was obsessed, unhealthily obsessed and not only that but she was also sick in the head. She had started with the intention of bending him to her will but he had bent her without even moving from the bed.

Suddenly something caught her eye. A black car was following her. The windows were tinted to hide the person inside, but they turned when she did and stopped and started a second after she had. Narrowing her eyes, she veered madly between cars, instinct taking over as they copied her. More horns sounded, but she knew how to lose a tail – the time as Don's henchwoman hadn't taught her nothing.

Turning down a side street she exited onto a bigger road and then onto a dual carriageway where she could amp up her speed. The car was still behind her but it was lagging a little. Whoever was driving didn't know the streets as she did and that was to her advantage. Taking a left into a suburban neighbourhood, she looped around the peaceful streets until she had them confused and then ditched them by taking a sneaky right while the black car continued on to a dead end.

Free and clear, she sped home.

…..

Don was awake when she opened the door. He raised an enquiring eyebrow and she held up her hands in a sign of truce. She sat beside him on the bed, handing over a pack of cigarettes she had taken the trouble of buying, recalling his habit. It wasn't forgiveness, but it was something.

He took the lighter she also offered and lit one, taking care to aim the smoke away from her. It was almost funny how happy he looked, and how much he was trying to appear nonchalant.

"I wasn't angry with you," she said.

"I know."

"Well, maybe a little," she amended. Better not let him feel too superior.

"I know."

"I still hate you," she just had to make sure he knew.

"I know that too," he smirked.

I still love you, was left unspoken.

"I saw Vardhaan yesterday. He was at the scene of the blast. He was looking for you."

Urgency gripped him and he shifted forward, his mouth curling when the handcuff prevented him from reaching her. "Did he see you?" he asked. When she nodded her head he growled, "Did he hurt you?"

"He tried. Also, I think he was following me tonight in the car. I lost him, but I'm almost 100% certain."

"It probably won't be long until he finds us…"

"So…..?" she drew out the word, waiting for his solution.

"So…. this might be our last night alive," he smirked, stubbing out his cigarette end on her sideboard. She barely noticed. "The last chance for you to unleash all that pent up denial of yours. Go ahead, I won't stop you."

She rolled her eyes. "Goodnight, Don."

He grinned, "Goodnight, sweetheart."

…

The buzzing of her phone woke her up. Blinking blearily, she rolled over and answered it. "Hello?"

"I'm downstairs," Arjun said, "Can you come down?"

"Why didn't you just knock?" she asked, yawning.

"It's important. Just come down."

Sighing, she hung up and dressed as quickly as she could. From the window on the landing she could see him pacing the length of her driveway, his brow furrowed. He looked slightly scary, and that was an expression she had never seen cross his face before.

"What is it?" she demanded, opening the door and stepping out into the early morning sun.

"Malik didn't tell you about Vardhaan," he cut straight to the point. "Do you know how I know?"

"No." She put her hands on her hips and levelled his own glare back at him. What was all this tension? It was rolling off him in waves.

"Because I told him not to. When I heard the news I knew it would just be another piece of this 'Don' puzzle that you can't stop putting together – even though you'll never finish it, because it can't be finished Roma! – I wanted to save you from it, from him, so I told Malik not to tell you and he agreed. So yesterday, when you said that, I knew either he had lied to me or you had."

"MALIK TOLD ME TO CATCH HIM!" she exploded, "When he retired he told me it was up to me!"

"But he didn't mean for you to lose your life to it! Come on, when was the last time you thought of something other than him? Even when we're together…" he trailed off, looking a little wounded, "So I called Malik and I asked him and he told me he had never said anything to you. So, I know I'm not as clever as you are – or as Don is – but I'm not stupid Roma, and I know there's something you're not telling me. I knew it from the moment you refused to come back to work when, only days earlier, you would have jumped at the chance to devote every waking hour to a new lead!"

"Arjun," she said his name through gritted teeth, aware of the neighbour staring at them curiously across the road. "Can we take this inside?"

He shook his head. "No. I love you, that's why I'm here. I came to tell you, to give you a chance to tell me – whatever it is – because if you don't…"

"If I don't what?" she spat, her hackles raised.

His words turned pleading, his eyes much less angry, "I'm a police officer, Roma, we both are, and that means we obey the law. I'm giving you a chance to do that. I'm giving you until tomorrow to do that."

….

Upstairs in Roma's bedroom, Don listened to the words drifting up through the window. He took a long drag on his cigarette and smirked at Arjun's empty threats. The fool knew nothing. He couldn't even comprehend the depths of the woman he was arguing with – if he knew the truth of Roma, he wouldn't know what to do with it.

Stretching, he tapped the ash onto the plate of uneaten toast. His leg itched beneath the cast and he reached down to scratch it, flexing his toes.

It had been fun playing along with Roma's little game, but he was getting tired of just lying about. Vardhaan was out there somewhere in desperate need of another lesson about just who was the boss. No one tried to kill Don and got away with it – that was a certainty.

It was almost time then.

Doctor Rasheed had been surprised to see him. They had last met when she had arranged a meeting to plead with him to let her son go. He had ignored her then, but her reappearance had been useful. Omar's life for one little white lie, he could arrange that easily enough. He had two phones and, while Roma had slept so peacefully at his side that first morning, he had hidden the second after finding she had taken the first. All it had taken was a little phone call and Omar had been whisked safely away from the long arm of the law.

His legs ached but, as bashed up as they were, they were not broken.

Soon the King would walk again.


	9. Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

….

"Did you hear that?" Roma fumed, almost slamming her bedroom door behind her. Don shook his head slowly, smoothing a hand over his beard.

"I think the whole of London heard, sweetheart," he said, wincing a little as he shifted position.

"Are you okay?" she asked, moving to his side and touching his leg gently over the cast.

He nodded, "It's nothing."

Arjun's ultimatum had served only one purpose, and it was not the one he had intended. Instead of realising she had to come clean, she had realised instead that he would never understand her – not the way Don did.

Anger burned through her, converting to a wave of desire as she looked at him. Tomorrow, when she failed to show up and confess whatever Arjun was waiting to hear, he would show up at her home again – and this time maybe with a warrant. He had to be very sure of his suspicions if he was willing to go against her instead of standing by her side.

Don was right – this might be their last chance.

…..

In the bustling Interpol offices, Arjun sat alone at his desk. The computer screen lit his face with a blue glow, reflecting off the pen he was absentmindedly chewing. He was watching the restaurant security footage again and again. In another window another video played simultaneously. It had taken a while to get a hold of the second tape – the owners of the newspaper shop had been cagey about handing it over – but, just over two days ago, he had finally had a chance to view it.

It showed the street behind where the blast had happened. It was a quiet back lane, mostly used for parking, but there were two shops on it – the newspaper shop and an herbalist. The security camera in the first shop was angled toward the window and it had an excellent view of the street outside. If he zoomed in he could see, with perfect clarity, Roma struggling to carry a wounded man. The man's face wasn't clear, but Arjun had almost no doubt who it was.

Within minutes of Don disappearing from the restaurant tape he had reappeared in Roma's arms on the shop tape. Her lie about staying home, her refusal to come back to work and her knowledge of Vardhaan's escape all pointed to one thing – she knew where Don was.

Though they had been dating for over a month, and though they had been friends for much longer than that, he knew there were things about her past that she still held close to her heart. Though she had told him she had worked for Don to get close enough to kill him, she hadn't told him exactly how it had all gone down and why she had failed.

Nor had she ever said exactly what had stayed her trigger finger the night of the bank heist in Berlin. But some things could be felt without words and he had seen the look in both of their eyes that night. Don was her weakness and she was his.

Furrowing his brows, he pressed the replay button and watched her walk by the window once more. Though she was clearly rushing she was holding him as carefully as she could. There was care in every step she took.

Arjun had never imagined, when he'd first become attracted to his beautiful, smart and fearless fellow officer, that he would have to compete with a criminal – the most notorious criminal – for her love. But he hadn't complained, he had only tried with all his heart to show her how simple and easy things could be. And he still believed, even with the increasing pile of evidence in front of him, that she deserved more than the life Don could offer her – which was no life at all.

The phone on his desk rang and he picked it up, covering his other ear to drown out the office buzz. "Arjun speaking," he said.

"Hello, Arjun. This is Malik."

"Sir!" he sat up a little straighter, dropping his pen onto the desk.

"I'm about to catch a flight to London," the older man said, his deep voice reassuring, "I've been troubled since you called me. I didn't believe you at first, but then I remembered the day Roma came into my office and told me she wanted to join the force. It was a month after Don disappeared and she looked like she hadn't slept a moment in all that time. I asked her why and what for. I asked her what she wanted from Don. She told me nothing. All she would say was that she wanted him found. I got to know her well in our years together and I admired her dedication and perseverance. I never doubted that she would find him again, even after Berlin."

"But Sir…"

"What I should have doubted were her reasons. So I'm coming to London – we need to end it, once and for all."

"Thank you, sir."

"No need to thank me, Arjun," Malik sounded tired, "Let's just catch him, and fast. We've all lived too long with Don on the loose."

…...

The water from the showerhead washed over her in rivulets, smoothing the tension from her face. For someone possibly facing arrest, or at the very least the loss of her job, she was surprisingly calm. Steam filled the tiny bathroom, seeping under the door and into the bedroom. She thought about Don lying there listening and a shiver went through her.

At some point her voice of reason had switched off and she was operating on autopilot now. I'm sorry Ramesh, she thought, I just have to know. 

Understanding Don was an impossibility – what she needed to understand was herself.

As she stepped out of the tub and dried herself, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. From the girl she had been to the woman she had become – it was all there, and it was all his – no matter how much she denied it. Even Don couldn't lie all the time. Some things had to be truths and some chances had to be taken.

Pulling on her t-shirt and jeans, she patted her hair until it was only damp rather than dripping, and stepped out into the bedroom. Don followed with his eyes, his expression carefully blank as she came to sit beside him.

"Tell me something," she said.

"What?"

"When Vardhaan told me to shoot you, would you really have let me?"

He smiled, touching his hand to her face tenderly. "Yes."

"Because…?"

"Because you're mine, Roma, and no one else gets to decide whether you live or die but me."

"Ditto," she whispered.

He smiled again, dimples appearing, and moved in close, bending his face to her neck. The bristles of his beard scraped her skin and she sighed, her hand fluttering up to land on his shoulder, pushing against him just hard enough to feel his strength but not enough to drive him away.

He lifted his head and she stared into the fathomless depths of his eyes, letting herself drown. Her lips parted as he leant in, and then he kissed her and the world around them fell away. This was the passion he had promised with every burning glance and it was the pleasure she had denied herself with every spark of hatred.

They clashed together and she pushed him back until he lay flat beneath her. Careful of his leg, she settled atop him and bent down, allowing him to run his tongue across her bottom lip and biting when he went no further.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked, smoothing her hand across his chest. He breathed deeply and she began to undo the buttons of his shirt, her eyes never leaving his. He tugged at the handcuffs, wanting to touch her with more than one hand, wanting to take control, but she shook her head.

He groaned, grabbing her wrist as she went to pull the tails of his shirt free from his trousers. Even this was a game of stop and start between them – of anticipation and release.

Her whole body was on fire, her skin inflamed by his touch. She ground down and he lifted his hips, smirking when she gasped and fell forward into another kiss, planting her hands on either side of his head. His fingers slid under her t-shirt to tease along the soft skin of her back. It wasn't enough for him, she could feel how much it wasn't nearly enough, and that was some small consolation for the fact that she was allowing herself to give in.

"Roma," he said into her ear, his voice strained, "you're driving me crazy."

He smelled like her shampoo and her soap combined with smoke and something darker that made her press herself even closer, her every sense consumed. "Now you know how I feel," she whispered.

"I've always known."

She kissed him again and this time he plundered her mouth, stealing her breath and making her moan. She lifted her hands and brought them to the drawstring of his trousers, tugging at the ends to untie it.

"Roma, Roma," he stilled her. "We can't, not yet."

"Not yet?" She sat back, staring at him in disbelief. "I'm not some virgin bride. You don't have to protect me."

He clenched his jaw and she could read the frustration in his eyes, "I know, I know."

"Then why?"

"Because when we do this I want you to be aware of everything, and you aren't right now."

"I don't believe this," she got off him, her cheeks aflame. "You're choosing this moment to be an honourable man?"

"I'm choosing to hurt you as little as I can."

You're hurting me right now! She wanted to yell, but her pride stopped her. Leaving the room, she slammed the door without a backward glance.

…..

Taking refuge on the sofa downstairs, she smoothed down the t-shirt he had hiked up and tried not to tremble at the reminder of his touch. It was almost midnight and she hadn't decided what to do about Arjun. Now that Don had doused their fire with spectacular restraint she was able to recall that rational part of herself.

The only solution was to take Don and get in the car and drive somewhere – to essentially go on the run – but Britain was a small island and they had nowhere to go. Not unless… she retrieved Don's phone from the drawer she had left it in and switched it back on. There was another text message and this time, against all odds, there was a number attached.

Taking a deep breath, she hit the call button and waited.

….

A loud knocking shook the door, waking her up. She scrambled to stand, panic flooding through her. There was a blanket covering her on the sofa that she didn't remember having been there when she had fallen asleep. The clock read 7am. It was an hour too early to be the person she was expecting.

"Shit," she hissed, walking to the door and peering through the peephole. Her heart thumped painfully as she saw Arjun, Patel and Malik standing on the porch, their faces stern and serious. What was Malik doing there?

She glanced up at the stairs and bit her lip. Arjun knocked again.

"Roma," Malik said, his familiar voice comforting even as she wished he would suddenly disappear. "We know you're in there, please open the door."

There was no choice then. She couldn't exactly run away and leave Don for them to find. She opened the door.

Arjun flashed his badge, deliberately avoiding meeting her eyes.

"We have reason to believe you are protecting a wanted criminal," he said flatly, "and we have a search warrant."

She moved to block them. "What are you doing?" she asked him, trying to keep things from unravelling. Maybe she could get them to leave.

"Roma, we are worried about you," Malik said. "We just want to have a look around and then we'll talk. If you have nothing to hide, it shouldn't be a problem."

There was nothing to say to that and no way to stop all three of them from entering her home. Malik headed into the kitchen and living room while Patel checked out the garage and Arjun headed up the stairs. She stayed in the hallway, cursing herself as the minutes passed.

Finally Arjun reappeared, his face blank.

She stared at him wordlessly. She had been expecting him to shout or something – to accuse her.

Patel walked back into the hall, followed by Malik. "Did you find anyone?" he asked.

Malik shook his head and, after a split-second, Arjun did the same. "No one," he said, sounding defeated.

Roma couldn't believe it. Pushing past them she raced up the stairs and flew into her room. She knew there was no reason for Arjun to lie, but she had to see for herself.

The bed was empty. It was neatly made, the sheets smoothed and tucked down so well that it looked like no one had ever even touched it. There was no trace of Don left – even the handcuffs were gone. She span around, her eyes widening as she spotted them lying on top of her dresser. She opened the bathroom door and the wardrobe doors and then searched the spare room. There was no one there.

Don was gone.

...


	10. Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN

…...

Roma dropped to the floor, her legs buckling as she realised he had to have been playing her all along. There was no way he had escaped her house with one broken leg, which meant Doctor Rasheed had to have been complicit.

Arjun and Malik appeared in the hallway, staring at her as she tried to make sense of things.

"Roma," Arjun placed his hand on her shoulder, his voice not unkind, "you'd better tell us what's been going on."

She nodded, her eyes fixed on the bed where - just hours prior - she and Don had lain entwined. Was that why he had stopped? Because he'd had some uncharacteristic attack of guilt about deceiving her?

Allowing Arjun to help her to her feet, she followed them downstairs and into the kitchen where they sat and listened to her story.

Malik was the easiest to look at while talking - he didn't appear to be judging her, only accepting. Arjun was alternately agitated and understanding, but there was a hint of betrayal in the tense set of his mouth and she found it hard to meet his eyes at all. Patel, who she didn't really know, just stared at her incredulously.

All the while her shock turned to anger and she lost her words many times, unable to stop replaying the last several days in her head. She pictured Don's face, his eyes, and wondered how he could have deceived her yet again.

"Roma, you'll have to come with us," Patel sighed, "Into the station."

The doorbell rang.

Not bothering to excuse herself, she jumped up and practically ran to answer it. Standing on her porch was a woman not far off her own age. She was beautiful too - her shoulder length hair in loose curls about her face.

"Are you…" Roma trailed off.

"Ayesha," the woman said, sticking out her hand. Roma shook it. This was the woman who had answered the number on Don's phone. She had promised to help Roma and Don get away before Arjun turned up, but Arjun had been earlier than she had expected.

Ayesha regarded her with a guarded expression, her eyes travelling the length of Roma's body as if she was trying to work out exactly what interested Don. She was just another Anita, but perhaps less quick to temper.

"He's not here." She said quickly, wondering if Ayesha already knew. "He's gone."

She hadn't known. Her coolly calculating look melted into one of surprise. "You let him go?"

"No, he left."

"Ladies," Malik said, interrupting them. He slid his arm out, circling the air around them both so that they were forced to turn back into the house. He watched Ayesha suspiciously, recognising her from the multiple files he had on Don. Roma prepared herself for more questions, but then something caught her eye.

On the window of her car, folded beneath one of the wipers, was what looked like a note. "I…I just need to get something from the car," Malik was about to refuse but she continued on, "It's Don's phone," she lied, "I took it off him and hid it in the boot. It might help us." The phone was actually in her pocket, but he didn't know that. "I'll be two seconds," she promised, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Two seconds," he nodded, "I'll be watching."

She slipped past Ayesha, catching a whiff of some expensive perfume, and walked quickly to her car. Just as she was about to grab the possible clue (or, she hoped, explanation) she noticed the large black car parked on the pavement just a metre or so from her driveway.

She had seen that car before - it was the one that had followed her! Whirling around, she spotted a sleek sports car a couple of spaces away which had to be Ayesha's. "What…" she began to say, but a hand clamped down over her mouth - thick leather gloved fingers pressing down so hard that she could barely breathe. Whoever it was twisted her arms behind her back with their other hand and began dragging her towards the black car. She dug in her heels and bit down, screaming as loud as she could when they let go.

Immediately Arjun and Malik came running, but the man holding her had a gun and he aimed and fired, the bullet hitting the door just centimetres from Arjun's head.

It was Vardhaan, his face dark with ill intent.

"ROMA!" Arjun cried.

But it was too late, Vardhaan bundled her into his car, slamming the doors and locking them. He smirked at her as he revved the engine. In the rear view mirror she could see Arjun and Malik running down the driveway as they sped away, Ayesha standing bewildered in the doorway.

"Where are we going?" she asked, strangely calm.

He curled his lip, his brows so low that she could barely see his eyes. "Back. Malaysia. You're going to come with me and he's going to follow us there."

"Why would he do that?"

Vardhaan lifted his eyebrows, staring at her like she was stupid. "Because I have something that he loves even more than himself."

"And what's that?"

He lifted his eyebrows, "You, Roma. And it's going to be sweet revenge when he watches you die." He noticed her shock and grinned.

"How did you find me?" she asked.

"I've been keeping tabs on Ayesha, waiting to see if she would lead me to Don."

"Vardhaan," she tried to reason with him, "How can we even leave the country? The police will be at the airports - Arjun will…"

"Then it's lucky I have a private plane," he put his finger to his lips, "now keep quiet. I don't want to have to shoot you without Don present, but your dead body will work almost as well…"

…..

Don walked through the door of the bathroom and out into the luxurious suite he had been staying in before the blast. Luckily he had paid it up for three weeks beforehand, so the room had still been waiting for him upon his quick exit from Roma's place.

Steam billowed out from the bathroom, condensation dripping down the mirrors. His towel was draped over his shoulders, catching the water from his hair. His face, newly shaven, quirked into a smile as he thought of the woman he had left behind.

It had been fun, it always was with Roma. She was different from the other women in his life - she was a challenge, and she resisted him. That alone made him want her. Like he had once told Ayesha - it was hard to give up a habit. He had left without saying goodbye, but he had tucked a blanket over her as she had lain sleeping on the sofa. It had taken all his restraint not to brush his lips over her forehead as well.

He went to stand at the window, looking out over the city. It was past midnight and the buildings were lit up like a sheet of stars below him.

His phone buzzed, a message lighting up the screen. It was his third phone - his old phone that contained the numbers of every contact he had ever made. If Vardhaan ever found a way to contact him directly, Don knew this would be the way.

And sure enough, though the number was withheld, the words that flashed up onscreen were from the man himself.

I have Roma, it said, I'll be waiting for you. I'm sure you know where to find me.

Don drew in a deep breath, lighting a cigarette and exhaling. He hadn't wanted to involve Roma, but once she had confessed to seeing and talking to Vardhaan, he had known it was too late.

There was no way Vardhaan had escaped jail without someone else's help. And since Don had been content to leave him there to rot, that meant it was someone who also had a vendetta against him. By allowing Vardhaan to switch his attention to Roma (as he had done in the vault) he had discovered where they were hiding.

Yes, Don knew where to find them. He knew very well.

…

"Look, if you don't need me, I'll be going," Ayesha said, aware that her phone was ringing in her handbag.

Arjun glared at her. The other two were on their phones, talking rapidly. She didn't care what they were saying. She couldn't care less if Roma had been kidnapped. She had only agreed to help the other woman in order to get Don back.

That was probably him now.

"You're staying right here," Arjun said. "And telling us what Don and Vardhaan are up to this time."

She laughed. "Don and Vardhaan? You're stupider than you look."

He stared at her stonily and she sighed, resting her chin in her hand and enjoying the flush that spread across his face as she threw him a heated glance.

"Your phone is ringing," Malik said, glancing meaningfully toward her handbag.

"Look," she stood, "I suggest you let me go. I haven't done anything and you can't hold me here."

Arjun snatched her bag and took out the phone, handing it to her. "I suggest you answer that."

She sighed, cursing herself for having worried about Don. She should have known that he would know what he was doing and left it at that. But, even though she knew she was just another willing body to him (but a trustworthy one), it was hard to keep herself from caring about him.

Blocked in, with nowhere to go, she answered the call.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Don."

…...


	11. Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN

…..

Roma hit her palms flat against the concrete walls of the room she had been unceremoniously thrown into. It had been a long flight back to Malaysia and she had spent most of it listening to Vardhaan rant about Don. He had had some valid points, she could concede to that, but it had been uncomfortable to listen to. She couldn't imagine having that much hatred directed her way.

She was still in the same clothes he had abducted her in and she longed to change. She was hot and sticky and her own fury- that caused her temperature to rise every time she gave into it – was not helping her cool down.

"Vardhaan!" she yelled through the tiny window, "Let me out!"

No one answered.

…..

Arjun tried to keep his heart from racing as the elevator ascended to the twenty-fifth floor. Beside him, Malik had hold of Ayesha's arm. He was no longer an officer, but he was still concerned about Roma and he had offered to stay with Arjun until she was found. There had been no time to call for back up, they had grasped at the only lead they had:

Don's phone call to Ayesha.

She was fixing her hair in the reflective walls of the lift, and she raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow at him when she caught him staring.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal a long hallway and then – the doors of Suite No.3. Ayesha knocked, slipping between them and pretending they weren't there. A heavyset man opened the door. He was dressed all in black and there was a gun strapped to his chest.

"Hi Ajay," Ayesha said, sauntering past him. Arjun and Malik followed, their hands resting above their own weapons.

The room was open plan, wide and spacious. Two more men in black sat on the sofas. Beyond the seating area was a desk (and behind that a bed) where Don sat, a congenial smile on his face. But he was twirling his own weapon beneath his fingers and his shoulders were tight with anger.

"Malik," he grinned, "I thought you were too old for all this."

"Don," Malik said the name wearily; "I have too many gray hairs now for you to give me any more. Now where is Roma?"

Don looked about, pretending to search the corners of the room, spinning his gun all the while. After a second he shrugged, "I don't think she's here…"

"Then where is she?" Arjun demanded. As soon as he had attracted the older man's attention, he regretted it. Don's smile quirked into a smirk and he appraised Arjun thoroughly – making him feel like he was less of a man and more of another bug to be squashed.

"How sweet," Don mused, "and to think it's barely been a day since you tried to have her arrested. Or were you just jealous? You can't tell me you haven't noticed how much she ignores you when I'm around?"

"Don't listen to him," Malik interjected.

"Oh yes," Don growled, "don't listen to me! But if you don't listen, how are you going to find out where she is?"

Ayesha rolled her eyes, swinging her hips as she walked around the back of the desk and draped her arms over Don's shoulders, smiling like a cat with her claws ready to scratch. But she was a tame one – obeying only her master.

"Fine." Arjun ground out the word, "I'm listening."

"Roma is in Malaysia. Vardhaan has taken her to Boris' old compound. He'll keep her there until I come, and then he'll kill her."

"Why?"

"Why?" Don laughed, "because I sent him to jail twice and because he promised revenge. Because he hasn't got enough imagination to orchestrate any grand scheme – but he does have enough insight to hit where it hurts."

"Why would Roma's death hurt you?" Malik asked, frowning.

Don stared straight at him and then at Arjun, "Why wouldn't it?" he asked.

"I'm not going to let her die for you!" Arjun said heatedly.

Don pressed his gun to the table, patting it twice, and then he leant back. "Neither am I. That's why I agreed to meet with you."

"So it was Vardhaan who blew up the restaurant," Malik realised, "Trying to kill you."

"Very good," Don raised an eyebrow.

"So what's the plan?"

"We go there. We infiltrate the compound, we save Roma, we kill Vardhaan."

"That's it?" Arjun asked incredulously.

Don smiled again – slowly and mysteriously, "Well, that's all you need to know."

"Do we need back up?" Malik asked.

Don shook his head, "No. Too many people might drive Vardhaan to desperate actions."

He stood up, sliding his hand along Ayesha's arm as he brushed past her and making her shiver. He was dressed all in black, his hair tied neatly into a ponytail and his holster strapped to his shoulders. He picked his gun up and slid it into place. There was an aura of danger emanating from him – a darkness that could both repel and entice. Arjun took a step back, keeping his distance.

"When this is over," he vowed, "I'll see you in jail where you belong."

Don nodded, smirking, "You think that will save your relationship?" When he didn't get an answer he turned away, nodding to one of his men and beckoning Arjun and Malik over his shoulder.

"Let's go." He ordered.

….

Roma let out a long sigh from where she sat, slumped against the wall. There was no knowing how many hours had passed now – she couldn't see the sun to tell. The last few days kept replaying in her head – like the repeat button was stuck along with the option to eject.

She was alternating between hoping Don was on his way to rescue her and hoping Vardhaan lost it and shot him before she ever had to see his face again. It was humiliating to know that, once again, Don had been in control the whole time. She had wanted to wrench it from him, but even in their moment of passion he had kept it.

….

"If you hurt her…" Arjun muttered across the aisle.

Don looked up, his eyes intense. "Me? The only thing that hurt Roma," he leant over, lowering his voice into a mockery of an intimate whisper, "is when I told her we should slow it down."

The aeroplane's engines whirred loudly, drowning out enough of what they said that Malik and Ayesha remained oblivious.

"Really?" Arjun clenched his jaw.

Don widened his eyes, "Really. I thought she should break it off with you first. You know how I hate lying and cheating," he grinned, "she didn't seem too concerned though."

Arjun lifted his fist and swung it. He wanted the sickening crack of it hitting Don's cheekbone, but the other man was too quick and he lifted his own hand to intercept the blow.

"Arjun," Malik placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Don," Ayesha caught his attention, pointing out of the window. He inclined his head toward the bags above the seats and she got them down, handing one out to everyone. They were all dressed for action now, Don having found Malik and Arjun suitable clothes and bulletproof vests.

"What's this?" Malik asked, holding up the bag.

"Parachute," Ayesha said, "unless you'd rather not."

She and Don pulled theirs on, strapping them tightly. Then they made their way to the exit where Ajay stood. Don turned back to them, strands of his hair whipping free in the wind.

"Scared?" he asked, noticing Arjun's reticence.

Arjun shook his head, though his palms were damp with fear. He had never been one for heights – but this was for Roma.

Don smirked. "You should be," he looked down at whatever lay below them, "It's a jungle down there."

Oh shit, Arjun thought, this is it.

…


	12. Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

…...

They landed in metres of each other, their parachutes tangling in the trees and deflating. Don was out of his in an instant, but Arjun struggled - feeling useless as he witnessed the older man's ease. The foliage was thick and dense past the little clearing where they were. It was hot too, humid, and he was already sweating in his cargo pants.

Ayesha patted her hair down, whispering something into Don's ear.

Don nodded to them and they set off, following the leader. Arjun and Malik were trusting blindly - they had to. They had never navigated a jungle before, but apparently Don had.

"You've been here before?" Arjun asked, tripping on a protruding root.

"Once," Don didn't glance back.

"How can you be sure you know where you're going?"

He chuckled, "I have a good memory."

"We spent years searching for this place," Malik muttered, "Boris' hideout. We never found it."

"He was an intelligent man," Don said. "He knew how to disappear."

"I wish you did," Arjun said under his breath.

They continued on, the twisting undergrowth grabbing at their booted feet. The sky was nearly completely blocked out by the canopy of leaves, shafts of sunlight appearing unnaturally bright where they managed to fall. Don shifted the bag he was carrying to one shoulder and allowed himself to fall behind and into step with Arjun.

Ayesha walked in front of them and Malik behind.

"So," Don had his hands in his pockets - like he was taking a leisurely stroll, "I understand you're bad in bed."

Arjun flushed, sweat beading across his forehead. How did the other man manage to stay looking so cool? "Roma told you that?" he asked in disbelief, not believing it of her. But still, some small part of him worried that it was true.

"No," he smirked, "but I can read between the lines," he paused, judging the effect of his words. "Can you?"

"Look," Arjun raised his voice. Don's constant needling was getting to him, just as the other man intended it to. "Stop talking about her!"

"But she's the only thing we have in common," Don affected innocence, "I'm just trying to make conversation."

Arjun stomped away, needing to create distance before he swung for the bastard again. Unfortunately he wasn't watching where he was walking and he tripped over a moss covered rock.

He landed on his chest, bracing the fall with his forearms. The breath was knocked out of him in a loud 'Ooof!'. Embarrassed, he raised his head only to come face to face with the head - and fangs - of a snake. It was poised to strike, he had disturbed it, and he froze in fear.

Suddenly Don swooped down, grabbing the snake just below the head and squeezing. He lifted it out of Arjun's way and then disposed of it, offering his hand to help him up. Arjun took it reluctantly, infuriated by the obvious amusement radiating off of Don.

"Arjun," Malik bent his ear as they moved forward once more, "You need to keep a clear head. If you let him make you angry you're giving him what he wants."

"But he's such a…." Arjun broke off, knowing Malik was right. He had to focus on Roma and not on Don. It was just so hard not to want to wipe that smug expression off his face. He wasn't wrong to be jealous, was he? Apparently even Vardhaan knew that there was something between them to be jealous of.

….

Roma stood up as the door to her cramped cell was opened. A mean faced man nodded at her and gestured for her to follow him. The corridor beyond was just as nondescript. There were no windows anywhere and the yellowy glow of the low-energy lights that lit the way made her think they were somewhere underground.

They took a left and came to some twisting metal stairs. The man pushed her forward, indicating that she should climb. After a second or two the stairs opened up to another long hallway, but this one had a wooden floor and white, clean, walls decorated with various abstract art pieces. She thought a few looked familiar but couldn't slow down to inspect the signatures. No doubt they were stolen, or forgeries.

Finally she was brought to a small dining room. Vardhaan sat at the head of the table, a laptop open in front of him. There were two windows, both revealing nothing but dense foliage on either side.

"Take a seat, Roma," he said, gesturing to the chair opposite.

"Where are we?" she asked.

He glanced up from whatever he was reading. "A safe place. Don't worry - there's no way for you to leave."

"Vardhaan," she said, shifting a little so that he could see her in the sunlight, "I understand why you want to hurt Don. In fact I empathise with you."

He raised his eyebrows sceptically. "Do you?"

She nodded, "He killed my brother - you know that. And you saw him kill Kamini, who was like a sister to me. Then he lied to me - to both of us - pretending to be Vijay, and then again when he tried to confuse me in Berlin…and yet again - when he pretended to be hurt and used me to hide from you."

"So?"

"So you were right," she ran her tongue over her lower lip, not moving her gaze from his. There was a fuse of interest in his eyes and she was ready to light it. "So you were right," she said again, "when you told me deception was in his blood - that it is all he knows. You were right. I thought there might be something more, something salvageable, but I was wrong. I want to hurt him just as much as you do."

He lowered his brows, steepling his fingers beneath his chin, "Your death will hurt him plenty."

"Yes," she agreed. "But what might hurt him more is my betrayal."

He shut the laptop. "Go on."

"If he arrives here to rescue me and finds me in your arms instead. If I deliver that bullet to his head."

Vardhaan held up his hand, "I gave you the chance to shoot him before, you couldn't do it."

Roma smiled, letting it creep across her face and change her expression to something cold - something unfeeling. "But now I can."

A matching smile crossed Vardhaan's face. "There is no fury," he said slowly, "like a woman scorned."

She had caught him; hook, line and sinker.

"But if you fail again," he warned, surprising her. "I will kill you. I'm not a compassionate man, Roma, and true love doesn't mean a thing to me."

"Don't worry," she assured him, "It means even less to me."

He lifted his hands in a gesture of nonchalant acceptance, rising and helping her from her chair. "In that case," he opened the door and called the guard back in, "you'd better freshen up. Don would like to see you looking your best, and so would I."

Her smile trembled a little at that, and the way his eyes swept down her figure made her cringe.

The man he had summoned now escorted her to a bedroom. "I'll be right outside," he said and she wasn't sure if it was a warning or an assurance. Nodding, she shut the door behind him and sat on the bed, breathing a long sigh of relief. There was a bathroom waiting - the door open and the promise of a shower beckoning. She glanced at herself in the mirror and bit her lip. Her eyes were shadowed, haunted.

"Don't think about it," she told herself, getting up and disappearing into the bathroom.

When she walked back into the room, drying her wet hair with a towel, there was a dress laid out on the bed. It was deep purple and slightly sheer in places. She fingered it with trepidation. Vardhaan - or whoever - had also left her a bag of cosmetics and a brush and hair dryer. She wondered who they belonged to, or had belonged to.

Picking up the brush she began to run it through her hair, her mind wandering to thoughts of Arjun and Malik. What were they doing now? What was Don doing?

…..

"That's it?" Arjun asked. They were laying flat on an overhanging rock ledge. Down below them, mostly hidden by trees, was what looked like a regular (if expensive) house. It was surrounded by electric fencing on every side and guards patrolled the grounds around the huge windows. Sunlight beamed off the glass, making it impossible to see inside.

Don shook his head, his eagle eyes narrowed and seeing something that Arjun clearly couldn't. "No. That's only the surface. There's a whole maze beneath."

"Well what are we waiting for?"

Don smirked, "You can ring the doorbell if you want," he jibed, "maybe Vardhaan will send Roma to greet you with a kiss."

"Don," Malik sighed, "do you have a way in?"

He nodded, getting up and brushing the mud off his trousers, "Yes. But I need someone to wait here as back up." He looked to Arjun, tilting his head.

Arjun stood, pointing his finger, "If you think I'm going to wait out here while you go in there and pretend to be some kind of hero…!"

Don brushed his hand aside, "Don't worry. That's your job. Only I was concerned you weren't up to the task." He took two radios out of his bag and tossed one to Malik, slipping the other into his pocket. "When I need you, I'll call you," he said. "The doors will be open by then."

Malik nodded, taking the binoculars Ayesha offered him.

"Gentlemen first," she said to Arjun, extending her arm to show him a steep slope. He grimaced but, not wanting to let Don win, he began to climb down. Don and Ayesha followed him. It was hard to navigate the way as plants slapped him in the face every time he tried to look up, but they eventually came to a large circular grate embedded in the earth.

Taking out his gun, Don shot the lock off. The silencer was on and the sound reached no further than the trees enclosing them. He opened the grate and it squeaked a little from disuse. Taking out three torches he handed one each to Arjun and Ayesha, beaming his own down into the blackness below. He grinned, lifting his torch and shining the light directly in Arjun's face.

"After you, hero."

…

Roma stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair was perfectly coiffed, her makeup like a beautiful mask she could hide behind. She smoothed her hands down the fabric of the dress. An hour had crept by slowly, the hands of the clock on the wall moving at a snails pace.

There was a knock at the door and it opened to reveal Vardhaan.

"What do we do now?" she asked, trying not to show her nerves.

He shrugged, "We wait. Would you like something to eat?"

She nodded, following him out of the room.

"I hope you don't mind," Vardhaan said solicitously as they walked down the corridor. Her heels sounded far too loud in the silence, echoing the beat of her heart. "But someone else will be joining us."

He pushed open the door to another dining room - this one much bigger - and Roma froze, encountering a face she had not expected to see again.

…..


	13. Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

…...

Malik picked up his binoculars and trained them on what he could see of the house. Three people had emerged onto an outside balcony and one was definitely a woman. He adjusted the vision and frowned. There, sipping champagne side by side with Vardhaan, was Roma!

She was smiling, laughing even. Vardhaan pointed to something on the grounds that Malik couldn't see and she nodded. She didn't look like she was in danger, in fact outwardly she appeared relaxed.

The radio crackled beside him and he considered contacting Don to let him know what he had seen.

Just then the third person turned around and Malik shifted a little to get a better look at his face. His frown grew deeper. Though his moustache was gone, and his hair was a little greyer, the man talking with Roma and Vardhaan was none other than Narang!

…

"Ugh," Ayesha said as they dropped down into a dark, slimy tunnel.

"Décor not to your taste, sweetheart?" Don asked mildly, shining his torch on the moss and mould covered walls. The floor was wet and it squelched beneath their feet as they began to move.

Arjun kept his own torch trained on Don's back, just in case he tried anything. Something scurried by them, squeaking, disturbed by their presence, and he felt his own skin crawl. The tunnel began to curve down sharply, the air growing stale as they descended. Arjun walked almost sideways, trying to stop himself from slipping on whatever plant life was growing through the floor.

They came to a fork and took the left turn. The other, according to Don, was blocked off by a collapsed roof. A few minutes later they began an easy climb and the infiltration of the jungle disappeared. Here the walls and floor were smooth, save for accumulated dust and cobwebs.

They reached a door and Don beckoned them both to stand on either side of it. He tried the handle which didn't give and then, smirking, he knocked.

A muffled voice sounded from the other side.

"Special delivery!" Don called.

The door clicked open, a gun emerging through the growing gap. A man appeared, his brows furrowed. He looked confused and very, very surprised. "What the f…?"

His question was cut short as Don, without hesitation, aimed his own gun and shot the guy straight through the forehead. His body fell sideways, brushing against Arjun who stared in shock. Don smirked, grabbing the man's gun and ID and adding it to his own arsenal.

They moved through into a dimly lit hallway where, after a quick check, there was no one else to be found. There was a chair and table against the wall and a tiny radio buzzed with sports results.

"Won't they see us on their cameras?" Arjun asked, checking the corners of the ceiling.

Don shook his head. "There are no cameras here. That might make it seem less secure to you - but to Boris it meant it was a place he could never be seen."

"And you've only been here once?"

"I can't win the game unless I participate, can I?" He raised his eyebrows a fraction, his tone that of someone explaining something to a child. "Shadows and sidelines aren't really my style."

Ayesha sighed, interrupting Arjun's increasing discomfort. "I just don't see why we have to go to all this trouble for Roma."

Don clicked his tongue, brushing his hand against her cheek - a gesture she practically leant into - "Who said it's just for her?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Arjun interjected hotly.

"She's your enemy, and an Interpol officer at that," Ayesha frowned.

Don smiled, "Don't be jealous, sweetheart. Roma belongs to Arjun here, after all, not to me. Remember?" He tilted his head, gazing at the taller man through lowered lashes, his eyes almost completely black in the yellow light.

Ayesha glanced at Arjun scornfully, as if to say - Why would anyone want to belong to him?

They continued on, arriving at another door which opened to reveal several twisting corridors. Arjun tried to keep in mind the way they had come, but it was almost impossible to keep track. Don had been right in calling it a maze. Someone who didn't know the way could likely be lost in the identical hallways for a very long time.

Eventually they came upon two more guards. Like the first, they were greeted with surprise. Arjun wondered if Vardhaan had simply taken it for granted that Don would enter by the most obvious route - the front door. Or if, perhaps, this was all some elaborate game and he - like the guards - was just another hopeless pawn.

Don executed them without mercy, blood splattering on the wall behind where they fell. He took another gun and handed it to Ayesha.

Three doors later they reached what looked like the first real impediment to their entry. It was another door, huge and steel and impenetrable. A screen with a keypad attached glowed silvery white, asking for identification.

"What now?" Arjun asked.

Don flexed his right hand, the tendons and bones standing out in the harsh light and shadow. He placed it on the pad, allowing it to be scanned, and then typed in a password. The name that flashed up on the screen for no more than a second did not appear to be his own, but the door opened anyway, allowing them entry.

…..

Vardhaan curled his lip in a satisfied half smile as he tapped the side of his empty glass. They were stood on a small crescent moon shaped balcony. As the top of the compound was built like an expensive bungalow, they were not far off ground level and the view was nothing more than trees as far as the eye could see.

Roma sipped her drink, aware of every little movement the two men beside her made. She had been shocked to see Narang, to say the least. The last she had heard of him was that he had continued on to the same prison all Don's little cronies had been transported to (after Don had exited the plane, of course).

"I always saw potential in you, Roma," he admitted, "even more, now that I know how carefully you planned all that out - just to get to Don." He was referring to their first meeting - when she had jumped into his car and pretended to shoot two armed policemen.

He was very different than Vardhaan, his demeanour much more cool and collected. But that didn't set her at ease, on the contrary she knew she had to be more careful around him. If he was operating less out of revenge and more for some personal gain, he was therefore less easy to manipulate as his anger and subsequent emotions were in check. Though as to what that gain could be, she hadn't yet figured out.

"So you became an officer yourself?" he raised his glass to her, "Inspired."

"I'm afraid it didn't work for me," she said with just the right touch of deprecation tinged with jaded wisdom, "I started believing in the law and forgot about justice."

"Two different things," Narang pointed out.

"Yes."

"Everyone gets what they deserve sooner or later," he said enigmatically, side-eyeing Vardhaan with a contemplative gaze. A moment of tension passed between them but, before she could hazard a guess as to why, Vardhaan spoke.

"Sooner is preferable," he said.

Narang shook his head. "You'll get yours," he promised, "when I get mine."

There was something below the surface that she didn't quite understand. Turning to see the trees, she took a moment to let her façade slip and bit her bottom lip. She had a feeling she was swimming far out of her depth - especially after living so long on the shallower side, where everything was determined by a set of rules her badge ordered her to obey. It had been so long since she had truly lived in Don's world that she had forgotten how layered it had been. They weren't friends who worked together, they were enemies who kept each other close until the time came when only one could remain standing. And it was always Don. That was why these men were so mad.

It was why she was so mad, most of the time.

…


	14. Chapter Fourteen

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

…

A booted foot kicked out and knocked Arjun's gun from his hand. His wrist crunched loudly from the blow and pain surged through him like an electric current. He tried to dive for his lost weapon, but suddenly there was the cool press of a gun to his temple. He froze, the click of the trigger cocking making him break out in a wave of dizzy fear. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Ayesha just standing there, watching. The man she had been fighting lay at her feet, defeated.

This was it, then.

A gun went off and for a moment his heart really did stop. But then it beat again and he realised, touching his head where the bullet would have entered, that he was still alive.

Which meant someone had shot the man who had been about to kill him. Slowly he turned to see Don.

"Thank…thank you," he blurted gratefully, before he realised just who he was thanking.

"Don't thank me," the older man said, his voice low, "thank Roma."

Ayesha sighed. "Don," she pointed to a figure running away from them, escaping. She lifted her gun and squinted, preparing to shoot him in the back.

"Don't, sweetheart," Don said, "Let him go. It's time Vardhaan knew we were here."

…..

Roma dropped her glass as a man burst onto the balcony, his nose bleeding and swelling. It shattered on the wood, the remnants of her third glass of champagne dripping through the gaps to the plants below.

"Sir," he said, addressing Narang, "Don is in the building."

"Well we can see that," Vardhaan rolled his eyes, referring to the man's roughed up state.

"There are others with him, a woman and a man."

The back of Roma's neck prickled, though whether it was irrational jealousy at the mention of a woman or concern at the mention of a man – wondering who it could be – she didn't know.

Narang nodded to Vardhaan, exchanging a speaking glance. He left them, escorting the injured man back inside. The sun was setting, gold and orange retreating as the inky dark began to appear.

The room beyond the balcony doors was an elegant seating area complete with comfortable – if formal – sofas and a bar. There was a table in the middle around which business could be conducted in a more casual atmosphere. She followed Vardhaan back into this room, standing awkwardly as he took out a lighter and lit several candles, dimming the overhead lights until they were soft enough to be romantic.

"Well?" he said when he was finished.

"What?"

He shrugged, his eyes challenging her, "You changed the plan, Roma. You said finding you in my arms would hurt him the most. So here we are." He walked up close, invading her space, and pressed a gun into her hand. "And here's the bullet you promised to deliver – right through his head. Unless you've changed your mind?"

His tone was deceptively light and she knew that any hesitation would change that bullet's destination from Don to her, without Vardhaan blinking an eye.

She took the gun, letting her fingers linger on his as she put her mouth to his ear and whispered, "Not a chance."

He smiled, but it was more of a grimace. "Then what are we waiting for?" he asked, gesturing to the sofa that faced the door. He sat down, waiting for her.

Gathering her nerves, she sat beside him, her dress falling open to reveal the smooth skin of her left leg. She hid the gun (and the hand that held it) half beneath a pillow and draped her other arm across Vardhaan's. He was crazy. This was the stupidest plan she had ever heard. She doubted her own ability to pull it off. She doubted Don's ability to care.

….

"This is where we part, sweetheart," Don said, pulling Ayesha close to him and kissing her on the corner of her mouth, just shy of her lips. She smirked, pressing into him and enjoying Arjun's discomfort.

"Where's she going?" he asked, his wrist throbbing.

Don tapped the end of his nose, "No questions," he said.

Ayesha sashayed off, giving them both a little wave as she rounded the corner. Arjun was surprised she could retain such a feminine walk in such heavy combat clothes, but Don didn't seem to question it as he watched her go – his gaze lingering on the swing of her hips.

"Why are you even doing this?" Arjun asked in disgust, "Roma's just another girl to you. I've seen your files – there's one in every country."

The smaller man clenched his jaw, his features sharp as he tilted his head to stare at Arjun. "She's just another girl to you," he corrected, "Tell me - because somehow I find myself interested in your mundane love story - what do you think can happen? You think she'll marry you, give up her job and raise your brats? That's not who she is."

He was angry, his tone biting. Arjun clenched his fist, wincing as he did so. "I love her" he exclaimed fiercely.

"You don't even know her," Don smirked.

"You're wrong. I know as much of her as you do – only I know the side of her that is good, that is more than what you think she is. The side that is better than you. And that side will win out, and I will win, because people like you don't deserve people like her." He knew he was letting Don bait him again, and that Malik would chastise him for allowing it, but with Ayesha gone it was just the two of them and all his resentment was spilling over.

He expected Don to shout back. The fire that burned in the other man's dark eyes certainly suggested that he would. But he only furrowed his brows, cocked his head and said "Well – Shadi Mubarak!"

Arjun bristled.

"Just one thing," Don said, his tone light once more, "You'll need to actually find the bride first.

….

There were footsteps in the corridor. Two sets, neither bothering to be quiet. Roma stopped breathing, aware of Vardhaan's fingers trailing up her leg. She wanted to recoil, but she had to hold it long enough to survive.

The door was kicked open and Don entered, his gun trained on them. She stared desperately at his face, even as Vardhaan nuzzled her neck. His features were stony, unmoving, but something flickered in his eyes as he looked at her. Her heart leapt and she wanted to snatch that second of weakness from him and shout loudly that she had caused it. But his cool veneer slid back on, and he lifted the gun, raising his eyebrow. "Really Roma," he admonished, "I didn't know you were that desperate."

Vardhaan sneered, getting to his feet and pulling her with him. The gun dangled limply in her hand. "Finally we meet face to face," he said.

Don smirked, "We would have been face to face before now, Vardhaan, if you'd had the guts to step out of my shadow."

"Shut up!" Vardhaan exclaimed, all too quickly losing his temper.

"So what's the plan?" Don's eyes flickered around the room, searching out any hidden traps. "You thought you'd get in a good grope before killing her? I know you're that desperate."

Vardhaan shook his head, cooling down as he began to think he really was pulling off some master scheme. "Actually," he said. "Roma and I have come to an arrangement of sorts. I was going to kill her, but then she used her charms to change my mind." He let his hand brush the curve of her waist. "It seems she hates you just as much as I do." Without warning, he dragged her almost off her feet, planting a kiss right on her mouth. Roma couldn't help it – she pushed him away.

"Roma?" a heartbroken and familiar voice asked. She looked past Don to the man standing behind him – who she hadn't even noticed before. It was Arjun, his face crestfallen and disbelief warring with betrayal in his eyes. She could almost see his heart cracking in two. If he had been hurt by her before, he was devastated now.

But Don…Don was furious.

"Come on Roma," Vardhaan warned, lifting her arm until she was aiming her gun right at Don. "Lets not hesitate."

"Roma," Arjun repeated, "please!"

Vardhaan rolled his eyes, whipped out his own weapon, and shot. The bullet whizzed past Don and hit Arjun square in the chest. He collapsed immediately, hitting the floor with a deafening thud. Roma couldn't prevent the scream that tore from her throat. As if in slow motion, she ran over to him – her dress flying out in a cloud of fabric as she dropped to his side. His eyes were glassy as they closed and she called his name.

Then suddenly time sped up. There was another gunshot, she didn't know whose, and the lights above her head shattered, raining glass down on them. A hand grabbed her roughly by the strap of her dress, hauling her to her feet. Two more shots fired and she heard Vardhaan curse. The light in the corridor went out and she found herself being dragged down it and away from Arjun.

"No!" she cried, "Stop, let me help him!"

"There's nothing you can do," Don said, his voice deep and dark, "don't be stupid."

They were running now and she was tripping over her impractical heels, half clinging to Don to keep herself steady. She didn't see where they were going until he shoved her into a room and shut the door. It was pitch black inside and she heard him turn the lock before switching on his torch, angling it so the beam shone upwards and could not been seen through the gap.

There were tiny shards of glass, like diamonds, glinting in his hair, and his brows were furrowed – drawn together fiercely as he looked at her. His hands, square and strong, came up to cup her face. "Breathe," he ordered her.

She drew in air, gasping, having been unaware she had stopped. Then blind rage took over and she wrenched herself away, swinging her hand and slapping him as hard as she could. He spat blood, his eyes filled with something primal.

"You killed him," she said, "It's your fault, it's your fault. If you hadn't…if you hadn't…he would still be…If I hadn't found you…"

Her voice was rising in pitch and he slapped his hand over her mouth, whirling her around and backing her into the wall. He pressed her against the concrete, remaining immobile as she struggled to lash out at him. "Ssssh," he hushed her, "Ssssh, Roma! I know, I know."

"Don," she sobbed finally, as he lifted his fingers and allowed her to breathe. Then their lips met and she wasn't sure who had initiated it. He was hot and solid and real and she clawed at him, her brain short-circuiting as he lifted her, pinning her hips. She wrapped her legs around his waist, tugging at his t-shirt as he kissed her urgently.

She felt like her whole body was about to combust from both the feelings his touch was reawakening and the terrible, terrible thought that kept running through her head. I'm glad it wasn't you, she told him wordlessly, I'm glad you're alive.

She hated herself for thinking it, but that hatred only made her pull him closer, gasping as his mouth claimed hers like he was telling her – once and for all – that she was his and only his. Heat spread though her as his hand travelled up her thigh, slipping beneath the slit of her dress. He seemed to have lost control completely. Had seeing her in Vardhaan's arms – even though he had known it was a lie – affected him that much?

As his bulletproof vest prevented her the access to his skin that she wanted, she settled for tangling her hands in his hair, tugging at the ponytail, and enjoying the way his breath hitched. She tugged it again, painfully this time, and he bit her neck in retaliation.

She could feel him hard against her and she moaned even as she knew they had to stop. They were in danger – Vardhaan and Narang were probably searching for them – and Arjun was dead. That last thought hit her like a bucket of water and she shoved him gently away, resting her forehead against his.

"Don," she whispered, "we have to stop."

He drew in a deep breath, his hands moving to her waist – a much safer place - but he didn't let her go.

….

Malik opened his eyes as the radio crackled to life on the ground beside him. "Detective?" a female voice asked.

"Hello?" he answered, sitting up groggily and switching on his torch. It was dark now and the trees were barely visible around him. Only the compound – its lights bright in the blackness – could be seen.

"This is Ayesha," the voice said, "The doors are open. You can come in now. I'll be waiting."

….


	15. Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

…

The room they were in was not small, and yet neither Don nor Roma made any effort to explore it. They remained close together, her head on his shoulder as he stroked his hands down her sides. His hair brushed her face as he turned his head.

"I know you won't believe me," he said softly, "but I didn't mean for this to happen." What 'this' meant, he didn't specify. His words were almost growled, seeming to come from somewhere deep within – somewhere true. It had only been seconds since she had stopped him and he still wanted her, she could feel the same sweet ache inside herself.

"Why did you let me believe you were injured?" She had to ask.

"I needed to stay off Vardhaan's radar for a bit," he trailed his lips across her jaw to her ear and whispered, "and I wasn't averse to having you tie me up, Roma. You must know that."

Her knees weakened as a dozen different scenarios (all involving her handcuffs) flitted through her head. If it was an unspoken promise that he was making, she was going to ensure he delivered on it.

"I felt like such a fool when I saw you were gone," she continued, needing him to know.

"No." He met her eyes, his face completely serious, "You're not a fool. You're the only one who has ever touched me, Roma," and she knew he didn't mean physically, "and that is why I will never underestimate you."

She couldn't stop herself from letting him kiss her again, opening her mouth beneath his and gasping as their tongues met. But he was aware of their surroundings now, and he was restraining himself even as he tormented her.

The radio in his pocket crackled to life, startling them apart.

"I warned you, Roma," a man's voice said, 'Love stories don't interest me. We know you're still in the building and we know you're together."

Don held the radio in his hand, staring at it in irritation, "Vardhaan," he answered back, "why don't you take your own advice and get over it." He quoted the words the bigger man had said to (who he had thought was) Vijay on the topmost viewing platform.

Laughter sounded through the receiver, "Oh, Don. If only it was that simple. But you know you're not that easy to forget. Even Roma knows that. And there's someone else here who would like a word before we kill you."

"Hello Don, Roma…" another voice said.

Don curled his lip, "Narang," he acknowledged. "I should have known you were behind this. You're the only one stupid enough to actually trust Vardhaan."

"It's not so much trust as it is a shared mutual loathing. We're waiting for you - both of you - I think you know where. And I should warn you, there are bombs set up in every second room, which will explode with enough force to kill you both. The first one detonates in five minutes. I suggest you make your way up here now."

"Incidentally," Vardhaan took over, "that's three people you've lost due to Don now, isn't it, Roma? A brother, a sister, and a lover. Are you sure you've made the right choice?" he laughed again, the sound forced and bitter, "we'll be waiting."

…..

Ayesha was panicking slightly by the time Malik reached her. She stood near the doors; an unconscious guard or two slumped by the wall. He panted a little as he quickened his step, "Was that…" he began.

"Gunshots," she confirmed.

The compound was silent now, but they were still echoing in her ears. She had longed to run to Don and assure herself that he was still alive, but she knew she had to stick as best she could to his plan. She didn't doubt for a moment that he knew what he was doing.

Malik took out his gun, "Where now?" he asked.

She beckoned him inside. Now she could investigate. They had time.

"Ayesha," Malik began as they moved through flickering corridors, "I can offer you immunity, you know, if you would consider testifying against Don. This isn't a life you can lead forever, and you can't tell me you think he'll drop it all for you."

"Mr Malik," she smiled shortly, her tone clipped, "I have never presumed to think that. But this life is just as much a part of me as it is of him. I've never known anything else."

"I know," he said gently, "you grew up in an orphanage and ran away when you were sixteen. You ended up on the streets…"

"Right," she said, impressed, "you've done your homework. And from the streets I found my way into the beds of small time gangsters and corrupt policemen. Don rescued me from that and I'll never betray him," she sighed a little sadly, "Roma or no Roma. Anita couldn't handle that, I can."

They rounded a corner and came upon a hallway where glass littered the floor. A door was dangling open, half off its hinges, and bullet holes punctured it near the handle. A man's hand was visible on the floor, the fingers curled around a gun.

They rushed forward, Ayesha entering the room first and confirming that it was empty. Malik stood and stared down at the body. Arjun lay on his back- eyes closed and completely still.

Ayesha looked down and laughed.

…

Don and Roma pushed their way into the bedroom Vardhaan had first taken her to. A bomb had exploded close to them as they had left the other room, demolishing several walls and covering them in dust. The heel of one of her shoes was broken and her dress was ripped.

Her t-shirt and jeans still lay on the bed where she had left them and she picked them up gratefully. Tugging at the straps of her dress she became aware of Don's heated gaze when she met his eyes in the mirror.

"Don't let me stop you," he grinned, when she began to say something about evening gowns and heels being impractical.

She shivered, well aware that there was a bed between them. He saw her eyes dart to the untouched sheets and pillows and he smirked.

"Oh, sweetheart," he said, "you're killing me."

And maybe this was the best death – slow, torturous and exquisite. She smiled slightly, raising her eyebrow and tugging just one strap down her shoulder as his eyes followed her every move. "Turn around," she said, "Vardhaan's waiting, remember?"

He groaned, positioning himself so that his back was to her and his gaze was to the door. "When this is over…" he promised.

She walked close enough that he could feel her, but she didn't let him turn back around, "It'll never be over," she warned, "not between us."

Then she changed quickly, perfunctorily, not pausing to see if he was looking back or not, because she had to control herself. Changing her shoes back to her trainers, she armed herself and went to stand by his side. They shared a similar glance and set off.

As she shadowed him, watching his back as he forged their way, she realised how perfectly they moved in sync. Maybe, finally, it was time to give up Ramesh's ghost.

….

Vardhaan twirled the radio between his fingers as he sat behind the desk in Boris' office. Narang paced the length of it, his fingers brushing across his upper lip like he was trying to smooth the moustache he had once had. His forehead was creased, his senses attuned to every slight noise.

The device to set off the bombs ticked quietly beside Vardhaan, waiting to be pressed.

He had thought, when Don had left him in the bank vault to be taken back to jail, that he would never be free again. He had thought it was all over. But then Narang had been transferred. He hadn't known who Vardhaan was (had called him D'Silva) but he had soon learnt and they had spent weeks bonding over their shared detestation.

"I want his position," Narang had admitted ambitiously.

Vardhaan wasn't so concerned with that, not anymore. "I want his head."

"He was a liability, I never understood why Singhania and Boris didn't see it. Clever, yes. And he got things done…but it was always his way at our expense."

"Singhania was a fool," Vardhaan had said scornfully, remembering his former partner's shock as he had realised who was standing before him. He had been a fool, and that was why he had died on a bathroom floor.

They had made a deal then, and sealed it with a handshake. In the weeks that had followed several riots broke out amongst the prisoners, culminating in a fire that burned down half the jail. Many had died – their bodies burnt to a crisp – and many had escaped, Vardhaan and Narang amongst them.

…..


	16. Chapter Sixteen

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

…...

"Why are you laughing? Malik asked, horrified.

Ayesha cut short her giggle and rolled her eyes, bending down to take Arjun's pulse. "He's not dead," she stated it like it was obvious, "He's wearing a bullet-proof vest. We all are."

Malik looked down at himself and then at Arjun. The bullet marking was square in the centre of his chest, right where the vest protected. Kneeling, he pressed his own fingers to Arjun's wrist and wiped the sweat from his forehead as he realised there was a calm and steady beat.

Sure enough, seconds later, the younger man awoke with a cough, wincing as his hand immediately flew up to touch his chest. "Malik?" he asked in confusion. The last thing he remembered was Roma leaning over him, tears in her eyes. But before that, before that she had…he had seen her with….

"Are you okay?" Ayesha asked, not seeming overly concerned.

"It hurts," he said rather stupidly. Of course it hurt, but it was better than being dead.

"What happened?" Malik wanted to know.

"We - Don and I - found Vardhaan in this room with Roma. They were…together." He forced the last word out, incredulous even as he was heartbroken. It seemed so ridiculous to even imagine, and yet Roma had always been full of surprises - never being exactly who he thought she was - and she did hate Don.

"Together?" Ayesha repeated, echoing his own disbelief.

He shrugged helplessly. "Together," he confirmed, not wanting to elaborate.

"What happened to Don?" Malik was looking around the room, examining the shattered lights and disturbed furniture.

"I don't know," Arjun got to his feet, aided by Ayesha who, for once, seemed more than perturbed and less than sure of herself. They all stood for a moment and surveyed the damage. Malik took out his radio and pressed the button to try and connect to Don, but nothing happened. It only fizzed quietly.

"Should we try and find them?" he asked, looking to Ayesha as the only one who was even remotely privy to Don's plans.

But Malik interrupted before she had a chance to answer. "We should find Roma," he said, "That's what we're here for."

….

Another bomb exploded several corridors behind them. If Vardhaan and Narang were trying to guess where they were, they were doing a pretty poor job. Don opened a door and waved her through, "Ladies first," he teased.

She shot him a warning look, making sure to brush up close as she passed him.

Half of her was crying out for the loss of Arjun, but the other half was almost delirious from the wicked sense of relief his death gave her. It was like she had been clinging to rationality, and what was right, and he had been the last thing keeping her from letting go. And now that he was gone, there was no earthly reminder of why she should hate Don - only a ghostly one, and she had made her peace with Ramesh.

"What are you going to do," she asked, "when we reach them?"

His eyes glittered in the dim light, "Give them what they deserve," he smirked, "which is not the same as what they think they deserve. They should know better than to try and best me, because it's not only difficult to catch me, or keep me…"

"It's impossible," she breathed, finishing his words. Somehow they were applying to her as well - that, no matter the heat of this moment, he could never be only hers forever.

He curled his mouth down, impressed, and nodded. Lifting his hand, he tucked a stray hair behind her ear, brushing her cheek as he did so. They stared at each other for a long moment, until the connection grew so intense that she had to look away.

"I knew you were bluffing," he said in a low voice, "but if I had thought for one second that you had ever willingly let Vardhaan touch you -"

"Yes?" she said, her mouth suddenly dry. He leant into her space and she felt light headed. She expected him to say something along the lines of I would have killed you, but he didn't.

"I would have ripped him limb from limb," he finished.

"You let Arjun touch me," she said, and why did the words sound like an accusation?

Don's eyes crinkled as he smiled, "Arjun is the epitome of dull, sweetheart, but at least I know he loves you."

"Loved," she corrected, swallowing, "loved me."

A shadow passed over Don's face, and his eyes became careful - the intensity shielded by something she couldn't read. "Yes. Loved."

He moved on abruptly and she followed him, a little unsure of what had just passed between them. It felt almost as if he was hiding something from her, and that was not an unlikely assumption to make.

They reached a small staircase and Don beckoned her closer, pressing his finger to his lips as a sign that she should be quiet. He pointed to the door just visible along the landing. She nodded, knowing they were in there.

….

Vardhaan glanced up as the door was kicked open with great force. Don entered nonchalantly a moment later, followed by Roma who looked tense. A great swell of hatred rose within him and he cocked his gun, his face darkening as he stared at them.

Don lifted his chin in that infuriatingly smug way he always did, and smirked, "I know you're excited, but let's not be premature, Vardhaan. I'm prepared to hear you out." he directed the second sentence to Narang.

"You should have killed me on the viewing platform when you had the chance," Vardhaan said angrily, "I told you I would make you pay."

"On the contrary," Don disagreed, "you did come in useful in Berlin, and your inept attempts at revenge amuse me. But it does need to come to an end, on that I agree."

Vardhaan rose from his seat, shoving it back so hard that it hit the wall. Roma flinched. "Right," he said, aiming his gun, "say goodbye, Don!"

"Vardhaan," Narang interrupted suddenly, his expression weary. "I think you should step out of the room for a moment." He lifted his eyebrows when Vardhaan didn't immediately obey.

"You promised me…"

"I said you would get what you deserve. I didn't lie. Now let me talk to Don. It won't take long."

Don affected disappointment, "But, Narang," he mocked, "We have so much catching up to do. I've missed you." He turned to Vardhaan, widening his eyes in a show of false innocence.

Vardhaan looked as if he might growl in frustration, but instead he stalked out of the room and slammed the door behind him like a giant overgrown baby.

"You never could take anything seriously," Narang chastised.

"You're wrong," Don said, "I take threats against my life very seriously - it's the people behind them who are the joke. I always thought you were smarter, Narang. Boris is dead, Singhania is dead. Jimmy Coogan and the rest, they are all in jail, and Vardhaan is finished. It's just you and me."

Narang nodded, gesturing to the chair vacated by his partner.

Don turned to Roma, "Wait outside," he ordered, his tone softening as he added, "please."

Silently, she left, expecting to find Vardhaan pacing the corridor beyond the door. But there was no sign of him. He was gone.

…..

Ayesha led the way, rounding every corner with her gun aimed. They had heard another explosion, but nothing since then. The compound was huge and never-ending. To navigate it properly they would need a map, or Don.

Suddenly a shot was fired, the bullet cracking the wall beside her. Vardhaan stood in front of them, a manic expression twisting his face. "Guns on the floor," he barked, "NOW!"

When none of them complied, he shot again, hitting Malik in the leg. The older man crumpled to the floor. Vardhaan smirked, "Now," he repeated, feeling no compassion for his former superior.

Ayesha and Arjun tossed their weapons reluctantly and Vardhaan made a little show of astonishment at finding Arjun alive. "Take off your vests," he ordered. He waved his gun at Malik, who was staring at him in disgust, "You stay there." He circled around until he was behind the other two and made them start to walk.

"I think there's someone who will be interested to see you're still alive," he commented, shoving the barrel of his gun into Arjun's back.

"Where are you taking us?" Ayesha asked.

"Not where, but why. You're my new guarantee."

It was best to have a back up plan, he knew that.

….


	17. Chapter Seventeen

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

…...

The jungle could not be seen, either from the skies or by those currently in it. The night had enveloped it like a blanket, snuffing out all light - except one. The compound shone like a beacon, disrupting the peaceful darkness around it. Animals snuffled near the electric fences, learned habit having taught them not to get too close.

Inside, as walls that had stood strong for many years crumbled from the force of Vardhaan's rage, seven people played a game that had no rules.

Malik tore a strip from his t-shirt and used the cloth to try and bind his wound. It wasn't too bad, yet. He wouldn't die from it. But it hurt more than he could remember any gunshot having hurt before, and he had received plenty of them over the years in the line of duty. Don was right, he was too old for this.

Whatever happened now was beyond his participation. He was officially out of the game.

….

"Roma," Don said, appearing in the doorway. She jumped, startled, having been on the alert for Vardhaan. It had only been around fifteen minutes, but whatever they had discussed seemed to have gone well for Don wore a satisfied expression. "You can come back in," he said, allowing her to pass him.

Narang stood near the window, his back to her, but he turned when she entered and gave her a short smile.

"What's going on?" she asked.

The two former partners shared a loaded look and Don cocked his head, "Narang's realised the error of his alliance, that's all."

"And what does that mean?" she demanded, tired of cryptic statements.

Neither answered her. Don only smiled his secretive smile, his hair nearly falling completely free of it's ponytail.

"Vardhaan's gone," she told them.

"He'll be back," Narang said. They shared another glance and her curiosity spiked. The seconds ticked by. "Incidentally," he addressed Don, "I didn't tell him to blow up that restaurant. I only told him to bring you here."

He sounded like he was apologising. Roma folded her arms, completely bemused.

…

Disarmed and still aching from his brush with death, Arjun walked beside Ayesha in the direction that Vardhaan told them. He was all too aware that he was no longer wearing a bullet-proof vest and that the older man was far too happy to fire his gun. He knew Vardhaan couldn't care less about him, and that was enough to keep him glancing over his shoulder.

"Is Roma really working with you?" he had to ask.

Vardhaan laughed, low and empty. "You should forget about her," he said. "The first thing she did when she thought you were dead was run off with Don. Didn't even care to check if you were still breathing."

The words sent a dagger through his heart and he found Ayesha looking at him in sympathy. She knew how it was to love someone who could never love you back. Vardhaan saw their shared understanding and groaned, "You're both idiots," he said.

"And you're a fool," Ayesha replied.

Vardhaan sneered but didn't answer. Instead he cocked his trigger, ushering them into the room where Don, Roma and Narang currently stood. Ayesha entered first, so Roma didn't see Arjun until he appeared from behind her.

She froze where she was, an arm's reach away from Don, her face draining of colour. She didn't look happy, she looked horrified and beyond that - she looked guilty. "Arjun," she whispered, "you're…"

"Alive," Don finished, not looking at all surprised.

Roma rounded on him, "You knew?" she accused, "Why didn't you tell me?"

He didn't answer, his dark eyes piercing hers with the only explanation he could offer. Vardhaan used this distraction to fire his gun up at the ceiling, raining plaster down upon them. Arjun felt like someone had just punched him in the gut, or ripped his heart out of his chest and stomped on it. She wasn't even looking at him, all her attention was on Don - just as it had always been.

Vardhaan was right, he was an idiot.

"Roma," he pleaded, just as Vardhaan spoke:

"Weapons on the floor, please," he nodded to Narang, expecting him to also produce his own gun and complete their agreement. But his partner didn't move. Instead he shook his head, rubbing his chin.

"It's over, Vardhaan," he said, "We've come to an agreement." He lifted his hand, indicating between himself and Don, who gave a little wave. "He's going to give me what I want, so he lives."

Vardhaan snarled, turned his gun from Don to Narang, and shot him though the forehead. Blood splattered on the windowpane behind as he slumped to the floor, a startled look frozen on his face. It ran down the glass, staining it red and dripping onto the sill below. "Too bad," Vardhaan sneered, pointing his weapon back at Don who shrugged and smiled.

"Not at all," he brandished his own gun, "you've saved me the trouble."

"You thought you could weasel your way out," Vardhaan growled, "not a chance, Don. This is the day you lose." He nodded to Don and Roma's weapons, "Drop them. NOW!"

But Don moved quickly, kicking out and knocking the gun from Vardhaan's hand. It skittered across the floor and smacked against the wall. Vardhaan hit back, punching the smaller man in the jaw and then twisting his gun from his hand. He could see Roma raising her own weapon and he shot, the bullet hitting her gun, but not her hand, and making her drop it in shock.

He aimed Don's own gun at him, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his radio. Speaking into it, he summoned two men who had been who-knows-where. They burst in and backed Arjun and Ayesha into a corner, preventing them from helping or escaping.

Vardhaan's face split in manic triumph. He had the upper hand, and he would lord it as much as he could. "What now?" he asked derisively, "What's the next twist to the tale? Don't tell me," he sneered, "you've actually been Vijay all along."

Roma felt a pang at the mention of Vijay's name, which she tried to brush aside, remembering that she had never actually known the man.

Don had his hands up in languid surrender, looking like he couldn't care less about the danger they were currently in. "Ah, Vijay," he dragged the name out, "a casualty of your underestimation of me."

"You're so arrogant," Vardhaan said, his face dripping with disdain.

"Are you just going to bitch," Don rolled his eyes, "Or are you going to shoot me?"

Vardhaan shook his head, backing up a little until he was beside Roma. Instinctively, she began to edge away, but he grabbed her wrist. "Actually," he said, "She is going to kill you."

"What?" Roma gasped.

"Not this again," Don said at the same time, while Arjun cried out something unintelligible. "You lack imagination, Vardhaan. All this build up and that's the best you can do," he leant forward, raising his eyebrow and lowering his voice to a stage whisper, "very sad."

Vardhaan glowered. He indicated to one of his men and another gun was handed to him. Violently, he lifted Roma's hand and slammed it down into her palm so hard that her fingers curled around the grip. "No, no," he matched Don's sarcastic tone, "there's more. I'm going to ensure that she follows through - no more longing looks or deliberation."

He looked to the man beside Arjun and nodded. Arjun gritted his teeth as he was pushed forward to stand beside Don, a gun pressed to his temple. The cool metal touch made him shudder internally as he kept his eyes fixed on the far wall. He wouldn't look at Don and couldn't look at Roma.

"Shoot Don," Vardhaan ordered, "Or he'll shoot Arjun. For real, this time. Make your choice, Roma. Though I think you'll agree there's not much of one to be made."

As his words hung heavily in the air, Arjun found his gaze snapping to Roma almost against his will. She was staring at him, her eyes wet and her brows creased. It wasn't a clear cut decision for her and the pain on her face forced him to accept that.

"It's okay," he mouthed, though it wasn't and it never would be.

…

Roma couldn't breathe. Her heart was thumping, her chest constricting and her hands were sweaty. She was surprised that the gun didn't just slip right out of them. Arjun was saying something to her, but she couldn't hear him over the roaring in her ears.

He appeared resigned, and a wave of guilt overwhelmed her. If she had turned Don into the police when she had first found him again, Arjun would not be in this situation. He was a good man, an ordinary, safe, kind, good man. They could marry and grow old together surrounded by grandchildren.

She turned to Don, whose gaze burned her, searing a path through her thoughts of Arjun and jolting her heart. She gasped. He would tell her to shoot him, she knew, just like he had before. Or would he? That time it had been her life that was in danger, this time it was Arjun's - so why should he care?

"Come on, Roma," Vardhaan urged, "do you need me to start a countdown?"

"You're sick," she spat.

He grinned, seemingly insinuating that he wasn't the only one, and she found Don's eyes once more. He looked fierce and strong. She had told herself that, should she get the chance, she wouldn't fail again, and yet mere hours ago she had chosen to let go of that vow. She would always both hate him and love him with equal fire, but she also wanted him, and she wanted him alive - she wasn't ready for a world without him.

But she had no doubt that, should she lower her gun without firing it, Vardhaan would fire his own.

"I'm sorry," she said, not revealing who the words were for. Shifting her aim, she shot the man who stood by Arjun. Vardhaan yelled something, rage colouring every syllable. Don kicked out, his booted foot impacting against the older man's knee and causing him to crumple. Ayesha too sprang into action, delivering a blow that cracked her own guard's nose and using his surprise to steal his weapon. Don dove for the gun that lay on the floor and shot the man as he stumbled - blood pouring from his nose.

Vardhaan scrambled to regain his footing, all his anger now directed towards Roma.

"Vardhaan," Don warned.

But Vardhaan had lost it, "Live with this," he growled, aiming his gun and shooting.

Roma barely had time to blink before a figure darted in front of her, shielding her from the bullet. It hit them instead, the impact echoing in her ears, and they fell back against her.

There was another shot and…finally…Vardhaan was dead.

"You stupid girl," Don said hoarsely, at their side in an instant. Roma looked down at the person whose head she cradled, their soft curls like silk against the skin of her arms. It was Ayesha, a tear slipping down her cheek as her eyes fought to stay open. "Why did you do that?" he asked.

A tiny smile lit her face as blood blossomed over her chest. Roma pressed her hand to the wound, trying to stop it.

"You know why," Ayesha said. She coughed, blinked, and then lay still.

Don touched her face gently, closing her eyes with his fingers. "I'll miss you, sweetheart," he said. Then he looked at Roma and somehow their hands found each other. He helped her to her feet and she knew he didn't regret Ayesha's actions.

Arjun coughed, attracting their attention. "Malik's hurt," he said.

…..

Some hours later they were in a hospital. It was located in one of the poorer areas of Malaysia - the closest to the compound - and the people that worked there were no strangers to dealing with the dangerous and the criminal and they took the false names Don gave without raising more than an amused eyebrow.

"Sridevi?" Roma asked once they were out of earshot, "really?"

Don shrugged. According to the sheet he had filled in, they were now all the stars of Mr India.

"You don't look much like Anil Kapoor," she said.

Arjun sat further down the hallway, consciously avoiding glancing over at them. His face had a determined set to it as he waited to hear from the doctors about Malik.

"Does that bother you?" he smirked. He brushed his fingers over a cut marring the smooth skin of her cheek. It had been stitched and it didn't hurt but he was still concerned. He hadn't been able to stop touching her since they had escaped the compound, and she hadn't been able to stop wanting him to.

"Interpol will be here soon," he said, "to pick you up."

Arjun had called them. He hadn't mentioned Don. Roma had tried to thank him, but he had brushed her words off, not ready to talk to her. She had a feeling that they were over, and it hurt more than she would admit.

"And you?" she asked.

He sighed, looking out of the window at the clear gray skies. "I have to be in Moscow by tomorrow evening." When her face fell he reminded her, "Life goes on, sweetheart. I'm a wanted man, I have to keep moving - I have a job to do…"

"What am I supposed to do?" she asked a little petulantly. He was leaving her again - just like before.

"Go home," he suggested gently, "live your life. Wait for me." There was a promise in his words and she felt a spike of desire. The urgency they had both felt in the corridors of the compound was back, and she bit her lip, frustrated.

"A year," she said, "that's all you get, or I'll find you myself."

"You don't need to chase me, Roma," his voice was low and husky and she realised they had slowly drifted so close together that, if they closed the sliver of space between them, they would meet in a kiss. "You've caught me already."

"For now?"

"Forever."

…...


	18. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

…...

Roma took one last long look around the bustling airport terminal. The extent of her actions had not been revealed to Interpol - the official report stated that Vardhaan had abducted her to get to Don, but made no mention of what had come before - and yet still she had chosen to resign.

Don had told her to live her life, and she was trying, but it was hard. He had told her to wait for him, not to search for him, and she had promised him a year.

"Flight 125 to Berlin, now boarding," a clipped English voice sounded over the intercom. The people around her began to move, counting their kids and dragging their suitcases. As the area slowly cleared she noticed a man standing only a metre away. It was Arjun. Her mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Arjun," his name left her lips gratefully. They hadn't spoken for weeks - though she had tried and tried to apologise - and she had thought she would leave without ever seeing him again.

"You clogged up my inbox," he smiled sadly, holding up his phone. "It's funny, because this is the first time you have ever texted me. Before, it was always me texting you."

"I want you to know I'm sorry," she closed the distance between them, people giving them a polite berth as they passed by.

"So you've said. But saying sorry doesn't change anything. You're still choosing the man who caused you so much pain, who killed your brother…the man you claimed to hate."

"I haven't forgotten," she wiped surreptitiously at the tears pricking her eyes, "and I'm not choosing him…it's not as simple as that…"

"Then help me understand, Roma, because I swear I'm trying to," he raised his voice, attracting attention, "help me understand why!"

"Arjun, please…" she trailed off. There was nothing she could say that would make sense to him, because it barely made sense to her.

"Final call for Flight 125 to Berlin."

"You're really going?" he asked as she looked around to see the boarding queue slowly whittling down.

He didn't sound like he was asking her to stay. He would be transferring back to Malaysia within the next month anyway, she knew. She had thought about going there herself, but instead she had used her connections to find a quiet job with the regular police force in Berlin. Jens had been pleased to hear from her.

There was no better place to wait for Don than the one country where he was, truly, a free man. 

Noticing that Arjun was still waiting for her answer, she nodded.

"Just because you've given up, that doesn't mean I will," for a moment she thought he was referring to their relationship, "I won't stop until I take him down…and if you're with him when that happens," he paused, "I'll take you down too." There was a trace of bitterness in his voice, and she knew the taste of that as well as she knew the determination in his eyes. They were gifts she had given him.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

He hugged her, his arms enveloping her in a warm embrace, "I hope you'll find some way to be happy, Roma, really."

"You too," she whispered, allowing herself to relax into him for a split second.

He let her go and she gathered herself together, heading off to join the last few stragglers. He waved at her as she handed them her passport and ticket and then he was gone.

….

Six months later Roma walked up the stairs to her apartment after a long day at work. As she opened the door and stepped inside, she realised something was wrong. Every morning before she left, she turned all the lights off, but now the hallway light, and beyond that the kitchen light, was on.

Instinctively she began to edge towards the kitchen door. She couldn't hear anyone, but that didn't mean they weren't there. Taking out her gun, she waited a moment before kicking the door fully open and walking in.

Don was leaning against her table. He was dressed in black suit trousers and a very expensive looking dark purple shirt - the sleeves of which were unbuttoned and rolled up to his elbows. His hair was neatly slicked back into a ponytail and his lips curled into a slow smile as he saw her. He put his hands up in surrender.

He looked entirely unnatural in her small, ordinary, kitchen.

"You're early," she said finally, for lack of anything else.

He shrugged casually, "I was in the country on business, sweetheart, and I heard you were in town."

"Heard? From who?"

"Does that matter?"

She sighed, setting her gun down near the sink. He probably had someone watching her, it was so unfair. A spark of irritation flared up. "What do you want?" she asked.

He raised his eyebrows, "Well, that depends. What do you want?"

She began to walk out of the room, needing to breathe for a moment and clear her head. He had caught her by surprise and she felt unsteady on her feet. But he reached out and grabbed her arm, spinning her backwards and into his arms. Her hands found their way to the fabric of his shirt and she smoothed it down, feeling the hard muscles beneath. He pressed his face to her hair and whispered, in a voice so low it made her shiver, "I like your uniform, officer."

She had forgotten she was wearing it and now, at his words, it felt like she wasn't. His hand drifted up, across her collarbone to the first few buttons of her shirt. He undid them slowly, making her breath hitch as he touched the skin beneath.

"Roma," he said as their lips were less than a millimetre apart.

"What?" she asked, annoyed that he had stopped.

He smirked, "Bedroom."

Right. They were in the kitchen. Not wanting to let go of him, she turned and tugged him down the hall to her room. Once they were inside, she pushed him against the wall and kissed him. He surged against her, trying to switch their positions, but she couldn't allow it. Pulling at his shirt, she tore it open and sent the buttons scattering to the floor. He laughed, "That was my favourite."

"Too bad," she answered, grazing her teeth across his lower lip. His hands fell to her hips, which were obscured by her gun belt, and he groaned in frustration before finally managing to spin her around and pin her against the door with his hands on either side of her face. He trailed kisses across her jaw, claiming her mouth and making her melt against him. She surrendered for only a moment, letting herself feel how much he wanted her and revelling in it, before she shoved him backwards with as much force as she could muster.

It was lucky her bedroom was so small, because he fell perfectly back onto her bed. She climbed on after him, straddling him and smiling down at his angry amusement. Undoing her belt she dangled it between them for a second and then opened one of the pockets and pulled out a set of handcuffs.

His eyes darkened as he looked at them, turning almost black, and she was glad because it meant he was going to let her do what she planned. And this time she didn't even have to be careful, because there were no pretend broken legs between them. Leaning over him, she lifted his right hand and cuffed it to her bedpost. He held up the left and she shook her head - she still wanted him to touch her.

"I knew you were getting off on it," he said. She ground her hips down, the barrier of their clothes making her impatient.

"So were you," she reminded him.

He ran his free hand up her thigh and across her waist, back to her buttons. She helped him, finally removing her shirt and throwing it somewhere on the floor. He reached for her bra but she knocked him away. Instead she sat back and removed the rest of her clothes until only her underwear remained. He watched her appreciatively, his tongue darting out to wet his lips as she stared down at him. She could feel the jut of his hipbones beneath her, and the hard, hot swell of him. Rocking against him just a little, she increased the pressure as he bit his lip.

The situation felt almost surreal. All the choices she had made and all the paths she had taken had somehow led her to this moment - to watching him come undone beneath her, and she knew, without any doubt, that this was real. That it was not a game, for him or for her.

She felt his fingers at her centre, sliding beneath the damp fabric and making her shudder. "Roma," he groaned as she fell forward to kiss him again, "I want you now." She bit his shoulder, tasting the salt of his skin as she squirmed against him. She knew how he felt.

She whispered an agreement and moved enough to free him from the confines of his trousers. They felt expensive too, and now they were ruined. She smirked, feeling him leap into her palm, it was just too bad about that.

"Next time," he growled as she positioned him at her entrance, "you'll be the one tied up."

"Really?" she challenged, sliding down and enveloping him in her soft heat. His fingers pressed bruises into her waist as his other hand strained at the cuffs. Her thighs tightened around his hips as he thrust up, their rhythm coming and going as they both succumbed to each other. They were not gentle and it was not sweet, but it was everything she needed it to be.

Eventually he stuttered and stilled against her, his hand fisting in her hair, tugging her close so that, as she clamped down around him, they were face to face - eye to eye. There were no barriers left between them.

"Really," he assured her.

….

When she woke up the next morning, he was gone. She sighed and stretched her arms, remembering the feel of him inside her. The bed was still warm where he had lain and there was a note on the pillow next to her.

She picked it up and read it.

I'll be back within the month, it said, and next time I leave you're coming with me. You can kiss me or kill me, but you're mine now. 

She thought about her new job and she knew she could live without it. But if Don thought he was going to control her either in or out of his bed, he was very wrong. He hadn't called her wildcat for nothing, after all.

It had been difficult, but she had caught him. She had done the impossible.

…

-FIN-


End file.
